Dead Letter Office

Letters with no destination end up in another world found in the back rooms of the post office. Here, Alice manages to land a job in hope of finding her lost father. What she does discover is the tormented soul of her boss, Frank. A quiet little Aussie flic that came and went at the cinema. Now you find it in the deep dark corner of the video shop, overshadowed by fifty copies of that dreaded GODZILLA film. It's a shame because this turned out to be a satisfying film telling a brave tale with strong simple images and effective performances from the two leads. This film succeeds where Garry Marshall's other dead letter office flic DEAR GOD (1996 - USA) failed, and comes close to the brilliance of, not the Kevin Costner turkey, but He Jianjun's POSTMAN (1995 - China).

This film is a wonderfully simplistic work. Enjoyable from start to end it is both sad yet uplifting at the same time. The performances from Miranda Otto (oh, how she deserves so much more recognition!)and George del Hoya are beautiful and yet almost painful to watch, as the two tortured souls come to understand each other. The supporting cast of workers at the Dead Letter Office are wonderful bit-parts in them selves, as is Alice's long-suffering boyfriend, who I couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for. There's one particular scene I could watch over and over (and I have!), it's such a shame that films like these don't get recognition, and therefore bring them futher into the public eye for more people to enjoy. I cried, I laughed and I sighed. I'd recommend this film to anyone.

This little gem of a film tells a heart warming, bitter-sweet tale with classy acting and low-key direction. Lonely Alice takes a job at the dead letter office in order to track down the father with whom she lost contact in childhood. There she meets the apparently cold but super efficient manager, Franc, a refugee with a past which torments him. The basic story then progresses along lines you would expect with some nice twists and turns along the way. Alice and Franc grow to understand each other, while facing up to the realities of their previous experiences, and the realization that the past is impossible to recapture. Miranda Otto as Alice lifts this film out of the ordinary with a charming, sincere performance, a very pretty face and a dab of genuine star quality . George Del Hoyo as the tortured soul, Franc, is an effective polar opposite to Alice. He's cold and apparently cynical, Alice is wide-eyed and enthusiastic but both share a loss in their past. The supporting characters at the dead letter office itself , in which undeliverable and wrongly addressed mail is processed, are a curious bunch of misfits who add some comic touches and depth. The straight forward and un-flashy direction is effective in making the whole movie seem down to earth and realistic. A case of less being more. There are some fine memorable scenes ; Alice posting a letter to her missing father while striking a graceful balletic pose ; Frank practicing dance steps after hours in the office. Not high art, but quality no nonsense film making in which the story and characters lead the way and the director supports, rather than usurps them. A nice film and please can someone in Hollywood sign Miranda Otto as I could watch her all day!

If the Australian Post Office ever needed a promotional film for recruitment then this is it.This is one of those movies who's heart is in the right place and you can watch again and again. Miranda's performance is touching as it shows an aspect of Australia unimagined by many Europeans, in that it can be cold, wet and bleak, just like anywhere else and just like anywhere else what is important is the people that surrounds you. The characters in the movie are warm and welcoming and make the prospect of a career move into a 'dead letter office' a thought to be considered. Miranda has gone on to do bigger movies, but I hope she always keeps a thought inside for this one?.

An unpretentious little film made with sincerity, gentleness and with a reduced budget (and it shows.) In the end, it looks and feels mostly undernourished. The Latin-American characters that give the movie its rather unusual "exotic" flavour also collaborate with the collective tortured past that runs through the movie, although their personal stories and discourse may sound pretty unconvincing.