Character mistake: The protagonist is reading the review of his book "Bitter Tulips." The influential literary critic publication apparently has zero proofreading, since the article says that the novel "can be described as AN failed experiment." (00:45:00)
Other mistake: The town is Mt Barker. The red and blue ribbons on the sheep pen say Mt Baker.
Continuity mistake: The handful of yams (pureed) that Glory throws onto the left side of her bowl is spread out, relatively flat, and spans close to the bowl's rim. Suddenly, the yams are piled higher and further away from the bowl. The yams on both sides appear to vary, but other views are too short to be confirmed (without pausing). (00:48:11)
Factual error: The timeline is completely wrong. The film begins in 1902, at which point Gertrude Bell has just left Oxford and is about to go to Persia. In fact, Bell was 34 in 1902 and went to Persia ten years earlier, in 1892. By 1902 she had already been travelling for a decade.
Factual error: A library assistant is showing his cellphone to a Fed. The Fed pulls out his gun and shoots the assistant from about 8 inches away into his left temple. Another Fed, standing to the immediate right of the assistant is shown after the shot. But there is no blood or material spray on him at all. His white shirt is immaculate. In fact, there is no blood anywhere.
Other mistake: When Otto Preminger calls Trumbo from his car to announce that Trumbo's real name would be credited for Exodus, Preminger tells him to look at the front page of the New York Times. The problem is that Trumbo has already picked up the paper from his counter and is reading before Preminger even tells him which newspaper features the article.
Factual error: Throughout the film, the helmet plates worn by the London Policemen are the 1930's pattern with the George V cypher in the centre. In 1912/13 they would have repeated the officer's collar number in the centre. The helmets themselves are also British military pattern blue cloth helmets with Police fittings added, rather than the correct Police pattern ones.
Continuity mistake: Near the beginning of the movie when Joy is in her airline's company uniform and getting ready to go to work, the knot on her scarf changes from loose to tight several times in the different shots.
Character mistake: The girl scores a goal in the soccer game but it does not actually go into the goal, so everyone is celebrating a miss. (00:02:00)
Factual error: The military policemen wear plain black armbands. Their armbands actually had 'MP' in red letters.
Revealing mistake: At the cocktail party in his honor, Rita Richards introduces herself. Joaquin Phoenix's scotch is in a transparent plastic cup, and you notice what happens in most movies, here with particular clarity; when he brings it to his mouth, he does not take even a sip, but just pretends. (00:06:05)
Visible crew/equipment: When Davis comes out from the train with the headphones on in the subway just before starting to dance, a cameraman filming the scene can be briefly seen reflected on the train door's glass. (01:08:00)
Continuity mistake: At the very start of the movie as the 2 guys walk down the alley way, the one in the black jacket lifts his arm up as he passes the rubbish bin. In the next shot from the front both his arms are in his pockets and the rubbish bins completely disappear. (01:00:00 - 01:01:00)
Revealing mistake: In the shot where Laing hears the horse neigh, at the top right corner of the screen that there are trees on the other side of the wall, where only the blue sky was before. (00:19:15)
Factual error: In the football match between Dungatar and Winyerp you can occasionally see the railway line in the background. This is the Melbourne to Adelaide rail line in use today. The rail line has concrete sleepers, which were not introduced until the 1980's. They can be seen as they are whiteish. The Dressmaker is set in 1951.
Factual error: The movie is set in the late 90s but in the parking lot scenes, the pair are surrounded by cars as new as 2012.
Factual error: Evita Peron died in 1952. In this movie, the doctor finishes embalming her during the Coup d'état that deposes her husband...in 1955.
Continuity mistake: When Zipper drops her off at her car at the beach, Marnie is wearing boots when she gets off his motorcycle. When she walks to the car she's wearing shoes.
Continuity mistake: The resident bully approaches Mara once her rather embarrassing mum left. Mara turns around and tries to power her way out of the predicament; in the background, the girl with the bright red dress has her arm across her waist, but at the cut she has both arms behind her back. (00:02:40)
Factual error: Dev Patel is standing in front of Trinity College's statue of Issac Newton. Directly behind the statue is a marble wall with names carved into it. This wall is a list of the members of the college who died in World War II. It would not have existed in 1914.