Mr. Pip

The film centres on a young girl, Matilda, who lives with her mom in a Bougainville village in Papua New Guinea. During a time of civil war, all the whites of the village have left, with one, Mr Watts, remaining on the island with his native wife. Mr Watts is brought to the local school in an attempt to teach the children of the village. It is here that the children are introduced to 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens, and find a friend in the central character, Pip.

Filmed on location in Papua New Guinea, the director has accurately captured village life throughout the film with colourful scenes and beautiful cinematography, as well as a script that reflects characteristics of New Guinean language and humour.

Xzannjah Matsi and Healesville Joel do a wonderful job in bringing their characters of Matilda and Dolores to life with great conviction. Hugh Laurie also does a good job portraying the slightly sad and slightly mysterious Mr Watts who lives on the island with his Bougainvillean wife Grace.

Set during a dark time in Papua New Guinean history, some scenes might disturb some viewers, however the violence that is present in the story is approached tactfully in which it is suggestive and the viewer is spared too many visual details.

Overall, Mr Pip is an exceptional film which brings justice to the original novel. Stunningly filmed, well written, entertaining and endearing, Mr Pip is a truly memorable film and great achievement in Australasian cinema.

I really enjoyed watching this movie, and I got much more than I expected. This movie shows universality of the world, despite cultural differences. It shows sorrow and joy, the good and bad in people. Hugh Laurie is truly a magnificent actor, who very well portrayed mysterious man yet full of sorrow. It shows how life is unpredictable, how life is simultaneousness of good and bad things. When I finished watching this movie I remembered the famous quote "there is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future". If you decide to watch this movie you'll enjoy the wonderful scenes filmed in Papua New Guinea and New Zealend, wonderful acting by Hugh Laurie and Xzannjah Matsi, story about life how it really is. This movie was filmed two years ago and it is still relatively unknown. I hope this will change because this is a movie that everyone should see. This is maybe not a movie for Oscars (not that it's not better than many movies that had won best picture), but you will enjoy watching it, you'll feel sad at the moments, but you will think about it later on.

It always amazes me when I am carried away by a film whose lead actor is unheard of, or has little to no previous acting credits. Xzannjah Matsi is such an actress, not because she is Hollywood polished, because she is not, but because she is so natural and believable. She carries the innocent heart of a student who believes in her mentor, and of a young girl whose been confronted with some of life's harsh realities for the first time. Through her character portrayal one can easily remember the precise moment when looking at life through the protective fog of childhood lifts. Truly this film was a testament to the sad events it was based upon, to the spirit of the island people, and to the pure relationship between a beloved teacher and student. Excellent job also to Hugh Laurie and to the woman who portrays her mother Healesville Joel.

When I first read what this movie was about, I wasn't quite sure what to think about it. Then, from the very beginning, I didn't have to think as I truly FELT every word, every victory, every cruel and unjust act. Hugh Laurie was absolutely fantastic as the teacher and only white man in the province of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea, where a war wages on over control of the world's largest open copper mine. It is he who introduces the children to Charles Dickens' novel, Great Expectations. As skilled as Laurie is, the real star of this movie is young Xzannjah Matsi as Matilda. She becomes totally enthralled with the novel and fantasizes herself as part of it. There is great beauty in this movie -- the relationship between teacher and student, the tropical scenery, etc. However, as unsettling as it is, there is also great tragedy and violence as one would imagine. What is truly commendable is the way this director has interwoven the two. I highly recommend this thought-provoking, well-acted, and well-written movie. It will stay with you long after the last scene is over.

Mr. Pip is an unusual case where I liked the acting and direction much more than the story itself. In fact, in many ways, the story seems like the least important part of the film and it left me, at times, a bit flat.

This film is set during the 1990s when the island of Bougainville was locked in a civil war against Papua New Guinea over their copper rights. It's a struggle that we seldom, if ever, heard of here in the States. Because of the war, schools have been closed for some time and there are occasionally periods of extreme violence. However, the lone white man on the island, Mr. Watts (Hugh Laurie), has decided that he'll try to teach the kids—even though he really knows nothing about teaching. Although he's not a trained teacher and is well out of his league in many ways, he is able to instill within the kids a love of literature. When he reads Dickens' Great Expectations, the kids eat it up. Of these, Matilda (Xzannjah Matsi) is perhaps the most voracious. In fact, her love of this story is so great that she longs to one day go to England and see it for herself. Much of the story is about her and her imagining that she is a character within this novel. In fact, I wish MORE of the film had been devoted to this—it was among the best parts of the film.

While this is the main plot of the film, there are LOTS of little detours here and there—as if the story itself is secondary. At times, it seemed like the lost track of the Great Expectations theme—and other times, it seemed really important. What is important are the wonderful performances in the movie. Laurie is excellent as usual—and it's nice to hear him speaking with his native English accent. His American accent was so convincing, I am sure many viewers of his hit show had no idea he is a Brit! However, what really impressed me where the wonderful performances by the natives—non-professional actors who did an excellent job nevertheless. They seemed very natural and real. I would attribute this as well as the nice look of the film to the director, Andrew Adamson. Adamson is famous for the Shrek and the Narnia films— movies that really are about as different from Mr. Pip as you can get!

So who is the audience for this film? Well, although it sure looks like a family film during much of the picture, it clearly is not and I would definitely not let kids see the film. There is some horrific violence late in the film that just make the movie too intense for younger viewers. It also is quite depressing in places. However, for teens and people looking for something different, it is worth seeing just for the performances.

By the way, if you are curious, the story is based on a book by Lloyd Jones and it is available through most booksellers.