33 Postcards

I don't come on here and say much... only when I feel like it is needed. When I read the previous reviews and saw the low IMDb score, I figured something was wrong somewhere? I am so glad, I trusted the previous viewers and went with my gut on this one. What a fabulous movie. It was nicely written, engaging and you really care for the characters and what happens to them. It was a very heart-felt story. This is really what love is all about. The acting was great... guy Pearce was awesome as always and Zhu Lin was also exceptional. All in all a great watch and I am truly glad that I was a part of the experience. Hats off to the actors, writers and directors well done!

This film was beautifully conceived, and started well. The characters are deft, subtle, and well-played by the excellent cast.

Leading into the last act, though, the characters start behaving erratically, with no discernible motivation. Sadly, the movie overall fails to recover, and it ends up being a frustrating experience. A great deal of potential, squandered in an apparent attempt to generate conflict, which in the end feels unbelievable.

Worth a watch, if you like any of the actors in particular, as their performances are still quite good, even from newcomer Zhu Lin as the delightfully naive-yet-savvy Mei Mei ("Little Sister").

I can't comprehend how this movie has such a poor rating.. I checked it before I watched the film so I was not expecting much but giving it a crack; mainly because I love Claudia Karven.. Now I'm one to check my phone throughout a film, especially for the first 30 or so minutes but this film had me 100% focused from start to finish; a long with lump in my throat and a hand on my heart. I had to review it just so I could talk about it, because I'm sitting here absolutely touched by this film. I hope the actors are proud of it despite the reviews.. You can tell they put their everything in it and it showed by how quick I connected with each character.

I love Australian film and 33 Postcards reminds me why I have such a place for it in my heart.

It is incredible how hard it is to write a good story and yet this film takes the simple premise of an orphaned Chinese girl sponsored into schooling by a benefactor she has never met except via postcards and letters and turns it into an achingly good two hours of entertainment.

Mei Mei, Little Sister (Zhu Lin), is a sixteen year old whose life in a Chinese Orphanage has been supported by regular payments made by Dean Randall (Guy Pearce). Mei Mei is training to be the conductor of a children's choir who are to tour in Australia which is where the bulk of this film takes place.

The plot and screenplay are developed with such simple brushstrokes you know there is a masterpiece being painted before our eyes. And this film doesn't let you down through all its wonderful and deft touches. Even the violent scenes are made to fit the delicate canvass the whole is painted upon, and we are never driven to the need for explicit artistic license.

The soundtrack too is so finely tuned to the images, with some breathtaking choral singing at appropriate moments. The acting is strong, brilliant from Zhu Lin and Guy Pearce, and only occasionally overstated by the support. The script is just wonderful but then the message from this film is wonderful too.

Recommended viewing. Nine out of ten.

If you enjoy movies about people, relationships, overcoming adversity, and can appreciate movies without CGI, this is a good film about two people reaching across a world to form an unselfish relationship. The story, directing and acting are all excellent. Characters are well-developed and- contrary to some ratings- well fleshed out. Some people will rate this at the top of their favorites. Others my only find it so-so. But it's a good film without gratuitous language, gore or over-the-top CGI. There are few of such these days. For those who rated this 1-3 stars... I pity such jaded opinions who have lost their ability to appreciate basic good film making. Such negative reviews are unrealistic and unwarranted.

This is a well-done movie.