33 Postcards

I hadn't heard of 33 Postcards and stumbled upon it online, there was no good reason to watch it, but I did and I'm so glad I did. It isn't the usual blockbuster drama, but weaves emotion like no other.

I'm (for lack of a better word) gob smacked! The film's and the performances' simplicity and earnestness blew me away. It created the magic of an international film with the determined oriental passion. I owe thanks to Pauline Chan, Philip Dalkin and Martin Edmond for wiping the blues away from my evening. And very specially to Guy Pearce, who acted with so much care for the story!

You take away a lot of food for thought, in terms of changing priorities, innocence and holding your ground. I've just watched an amazing movie and that it moved me so much that I cared to register on IMDb to write a review for it, says a lot to the movie's credit.

Do watch it, you will not regret it.

This is a quirky and touching movie about a sixteen year-old orphan from China, Mei-Mei, (played with pluck and naïveté by then newcomer Zhu Lin), who travels to Sydney, Australia with a children's choir and slips away to meet and thank the man whose financial donations sponsored her education; as important to her, her sponsor's steady stream of postcards about his perfect life provided her love, support and hope.

Her journey to find Dean Randall, (played by one of my screen favorites, Guy Pearce), is a surprising one. She learns that he is a convicted killer serving time in prison where he is up for parole, and the stories he wrote in his postcards were of a fantasy life. Dean is portrayed as being a sort of killer with a heart of gold, which was hard to swallow except for the fact that Guy Pearce is so likable.

The film passed quickly and gently. Mei-Mei and Dean form a bond, which he resists at first out of shame. It's a touching idea, however the screenplay was full of holes and the direction lacked finesse. The actors did the best they could in this production.

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.

First,while the film is not-rated I would give it a rating of PG-13,because of some of the subject matter. The film does a beautiful job of demonstrating how people have a universal desire to be a part of a family.It's a sweet story how two people who are separated by thousands of miles can still effect one another greatly.Redemption,purpose, and life's ongoing search to love and be loved are strong themes throughout the film.While I did enjoy the movie,I would have liked to have seen the film-makers give more attention to the earliest years in the orphanage and the hardships Mei Mei had to endure. Overall,you'll come away from watching 33 Postcards feeling happy.

I'm not too sure why I decided to watch this film, but I am so happy that I did! This film is so emotional and meaningful; it's just so beautiful! It's not a big blockbuster smash hitting film, so if that's what you are looking for then you will be disappointed! However, if you want to see a really stunning film with such an amazing storyline, then I recommend you watch 33 postcards.

Guy Pearce plays an excellent role in this film and carries his character through perfect.

The meaning behind this film is what I liked so much about it. It just makes me think about life and how amazing it is. For a film to get so much of an emotional response out of me is great. This film needs to be watched and given the credit it deserves.

I give 10/10 on the vote for 33 postcards, mainly because of the beauty. The work and emotion that has gone into this film as well as the emotion that has came out makes it such a worthy film of ten stars.

Wow, please give this film a chance, you won't regret it. I promise.