33 Postcards (2011) Reviews

• Such a beautiful film.

  nicole_ward2012-06-10

  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.

• Beautiful movies are rare - you've found one, so watch it!

  prathyu-kokku2012-07-29

  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 one Knocked my Socks Off!

  Right-Wing-Man2013-04-25

  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!

• Disappointing

  amazon-787-5246472014-03-23

  When I read the premise of this film, and some of the other enthusiastic reviews, I was quite excited about it. I really enjoy Guy Pearce, and this sounded like a winner. Unfortunately, this movie is flawed in so many ways. Spoilers First, we see Mei Mei growing up in an orphanage, and we learn she has a sponsor, Dean Randall, who has been providing for her, and writing to her. But this is glossed over so quickly, and it would have been nice to see how that relationship developed, even though he was making up his life story. We get snippets, but there is no depth to that story line. Mei Mei never really develops much as a character. She seems very one- dimensional and lacking complexity. And overall, the characters are a collection of caricatures that are largely clichéd and melodramatic. There are so many story lines that are just unnecessary and pointless. It seems that the writers didn't have the courage to let the two main characters interact and develop. Instead, we are served up a silly plot line where she is put in danger, and Dean has to rescue her. Pearce does a good job with what he has been given, but he wasn't really give much of a script to work with, and we are left at the end with no real insight into what motivated him to sponsor this girl he never knew. This could have been a terrific little film, and they just plain missed the opportunity.

• Very original storyline

  JohnRayPeterson2013-09-08

  If you like Guy Pearce's work you'll likely want to see this film, so as a loyal fan I did. The variety of characters this actor has played and the non mainstream productions he's been a part of, like Memento, The Proposition, First Snow, Traitor, Lawless are the kind movie buffs gravitate to and seek, which is why I considered it in the first place. The director/writer and producer Pauline Chan is not a newcomer to directing or producing; she did come up once again with a very original plot. Mei Mei, played by Zhu Lin, is an orphan, abandoned by her father at a young age; he dropped her off at a remote institute in the Chinese countryside. She is smart, engaged and liked by the other children at the orphanage; she has had, over the years, a sponsor from Australia with whom she corresponded and one who painted a picture of a life she dreamt of being a part of. So when an opportunity to meet him presents itself, by way of a concert tour by the orphanage's choir, one that brings it to Australia, she is full of hope and determined to make it happen. What we discover, soon after she arrives in Sydney is that the sponsor is not what she, or the audience, expected; indeed, Dean Randall, played by Pearce, the sponsor, is an inmate at the local penitentiary. The innocent sixteen year old Mei Mei is not however dissuaded by the prospect; she showed determination to find him and get a face to face, despite her orphanage director's instructions not to do so. The encounter was as much a surprise to Randall as it was to Mei Mei. She temporarily abandons the choir and manages to find work so she can be with her 'sponsor father' when he is to be released; a bond between Randall and Mei Mei develops. But when a young orphan from rural China tries to survive in the big city that is Sydney, a series of misadventures ensue as can be expected. Randall will put his life on the line and even risk of a lifetime back in jail to go rescue the child he now feels responsible for. The very ending reminded me much of that feeling at the end of the film Unleashed; it is heartwarming, so you could say this is a feel good movie with a bit of drama. I liked it well enough.