33 Postcards (2013)

Australia certainly has a knack for producing depressing films, and this is one of their finest efforts. If I want to be depressed I'll turn on the news. I don't see any reason to bring more sadness into the world.Initially the story looks promising and indeed could have become moving and uplifting. However, much like the unfortunate characters portrayed, it plunges into an inescapable spiral of gloom and misfortune.Pearce is certainly on top form here, but his character is so pathetic and easily manipulated that it is difficult not to despise those around him - basically everyone else in the movie.Technically good films don't work unless there is an inspirational or entertaining story to tell. This one perhaps was intended to be uplifting but misses the mark by a mile. Poor effort indeed.

this film is such a shallow and childish film. i was fooled by the several high praises of the reviews and decided to give a try. but once the film started, we immediately felt that it was nothing but a very pretentious and very shallow film with very bad casting (the Chinese cast), very weak and unnatural script with stupid dialog and unconvincing scenario and plot twists. but what we felt most unacceptable was those Chinese actors, that mei mei cast was definitely one of the worst choices we've ever seen. she looked so pretentious, yet at the same time, so unnaturally ugly with a very unwelcoming downward thick lips mouth, shockingly unnatural low droopy long chin(an overdone bad Korean plastic surgery job?), so long and so pointed downward like the witch in 'snow white and the seven dwarfs' and her acting was extremely horrible. the female Chinese orphanage caretaker's acting was also so pretentious and rigid. the storyline also turned into more contrite and unconvincing when the locality shifted to down under Australia. the storyline about the Australian part was even more stupid and awkward, the loan shark part and the prison part only rendered deeper awkwardness. guy pearce had tried very hard to sink into the character he played, but often over done it. the thugs in jail and the car stealing thugs, the living terror who controlled inside the prison and the outside illegal activities only gave people a small localized group of thugs, not big-deal crime boss. this is a horrible film, i have to constantly use 'fast forward' to speed up the viewing, otherwise..well.

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.

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.