33 Postcards [HD]

5.7/10

Dean (Guy Pearce) has sponsored a Chinese orphan for many years, speaking only through postcards, but when they finally meet in Sydney, she is shocked to learn the truth about him.

Starring: Guy Pearce, Zhu Lin
Directed by: Pauline Chan
Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes
Release year: 2013
Studio: Gravitas Ventures


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33 Postcards [HD]

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Product Details

Synopsis: Dean (Guy Pearce) has sponsored a Chinese orphan for many years, speaking only through postcards, but when they finally meet in Sydney, she is shocked to learn the truth about him.

Starring: Guy Pearce, Zhu Lin

Supporting actors: Claudia Karvan, Elaine Jin, Rhys Muldoon, Lincoln Lewis

Directed by: Pauline Chan

Genre: Drama, Music

Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes

Captions and Subtitles: English Details

Release year: 2013

Studio: Gravitas Ventures

ASIN: B00CDCXZWI

Rights & Requirements

Rental rights: 7 days viewing period. Details

Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details

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Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

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Theatrical Release Information

US Theatrical Release Date: April 15, 2013
Production Company: Portal Pictures, Zhejiang Hengdian Film Production
Filming Locations: Gladesville, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | Hengdian Chinese Film Industrial Park, China | Long Bay Gaol, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | Ryde Hospital, Denistone Road, Eastwood, New South Wales, Australia | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Customer Reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars

(156)

3.8 out of 5 stars

See all 156 customer reviews

“
Very moving, good acting, great story. ”
C. Clay| 31 reviewers made a similar statement
“
A very unusual story line with an engaging plot and a happy ending! ”
Rhodgava| 13 reviewers made a similar statement
“
Guess all movies can't be happily ever after, but when I read the summary I thought it was going to be totally different. ”
Ali| 5 reviewers made a similar statement

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 85 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing movie but depressing June 4, 2013

By Amy Y. TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase

If I were rating this movie on the acting or storyline, I would give it 5 stars. The plot is gutwrenchingly bittersweet. For entertainment, though, this is the kind of movie I need to be 'in the mood for'. I don't want to give away spoilers but there were aspects of this movie that were very dark and depressing- especially for someone who is in their 40's or 50's, wishing they had lived a different life. It really captures the idealism and innocence of youth and contrasts that with the realism of being older and wanting to find purpose. This is not a fun-to-watch-with-the-family kind of movie. For me, even though it was well done and I didn't want to stop watching, it left me feeling a bit bleak. At this point in my life, though I think films and books of all ilk are/can be of value, when I sit down to watch a movie, I want to be entertained and taken out of my life for a bit of escapism. Maybe that is shallow or silly of me, but this was a bit too introspective. My husband and I looked at each other and were like, "Well, that sucks". Just a little too gritty for entertainment for me.

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible. September 13, 2013

By Errol Kody

Format:Amazon Instant Video

After reading reviews prior to watching the film, I was afraid I may be disappointed or be depressed at the end. But what a wonderful movie. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. I thought I would be sad at the end or be depressed...but what a surprise. If you have a good heart, please do watch it. Don't mind the bad reviews you may read.

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare and wonderful September 19, 2013

By Rhonda Lindsey

Format:Amazon Instant Video

At first it appeared so much was being revealed about the storyline that I wondered where it would go next. Then I thought it was a classic 'girl gets lost then is found' story. Then somewhere along the way it became a well written story that had me crying at the end. It is one of those rare films that doesn't rely on dramatics to carry it along. Bravo. I think I would watch it again.

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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the frustrations of streaming HD July 22, 2013

By Vickie Wyatt

Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm always surprised anymore when storytellers are able to deliver without an onslaught of vulgarity. This movie was one of those surprises. It isn't a comedy, and as other reviewers have said, you do spend some time worried about the characters, but ultimately it was uplifting. It was an engaging story.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly Thoughtful; More Than A "Tear Jerker" October 3, 2013

By Paul

Format:Amazon Instant Video

There are two movies in here, I think. On the one hand, the movie focuses on two individuals who are achingly lonely and lost. There's "Little Sister," a Chinese girl abandoned to an orphanage at the film's opening as her anonymous father walks away, a gate clicking shut with finality. The gates that confine the little Chinese girl are mirrored by the bars of a prison that confine convicted criminal,"Mr. Randall" (Guy Peirce) who unintentionally committed reckless manslaughter during a job gone bad for his crime boss. While in prison he sponsors a child who is in fact the little Chinese girl. The money he sends secretively in his quest to somehow redeem himself, allows her to become nicely educated in the orphanage. Their correspondences over several years are, however, tainted by lies that Randall tells the girl about his alleged beach house, beautiful and happy family and upright life in Australia. When the musical ensemble from the orphanage is invited to Australia, Little Sister runs off to meet her sponsor, who she relates to as a father, a man who gave her a chance in life, and cared for her. When she finds out about his true identity, his past, and his lies to her, the two form a bond that is much more real than the one largely based on Randall's fantasies of being an ideal family man. The wonderfully acted character of the Chinese girl responds immediately with compassion and a desire to help him to the extent she can, much as she has been the grateful recipient of his voluntary help. The loving, familial relationship they form (she sees him as her father emotionally), and the criminal circle that she falls into unwittingly are the focus of the movie as a suspenseful tear jerker about human kindness, the meaning of familial love, and the quest for redemption, with lurking villains in the mix. For the most part, all of this is handled well-- despite a few cliches and unlikely happy turns of fate. But there is more to the movie than that.

The other movie in here asks not only about love and the need for redemption, but about personal identity and loyalty to one's native culture. The movie deals with the problem of deciding which loyalties are most important in a person's life, for we can't be equally loyal to everyone about whom we care. As much as the girl wants to help Randall rebuild his life in Australia (where she has a chance to become adopted in a middle class family), she also feels great love for the other little girls in the orphanage who look up to her, and need her. To simplify a little, there is a clash between her individualistic loyalties, hopes and desires, and her obligations to a more extended "family," i.e. the orphans, symbolic too of her Chinese roots. What will she do? Where will she go? We see her with make-up and heels during her brief stay in Australia and it's easy to think of many adopted children who are exceedingly westernized, sometimes at the expense of their sense of roots, because many of the cultural traits we call assimilation are pretty superficial, and do not answer the question "Who am I? Where do I belong?" How can a character like this girl avoid getting lost? She must think about her purpose which remains centered in helping her sponsor (emotional father, in her heart) and yet also being there for the other Chinese orphans.

It is refreshing to see a movie that doesn't just go with the typical western assumption that individual liberty and upward mobility are the supreme goods in the moral universe. We are reminded that individual freedoms require us to choose our loyalties which may conflict. That doing what is most gratifying personally is not always most satisfying to the conscience, and that both the western ideals of liberty and social mobility AND the more traditional values of being rooted and at home with your culture and society have great value, and yet can come into conflict with each other. In an increasingly global world, the hardest individual choices may be finding a way to honor our individual desires without abandoning social conscience. The director of this film discussed some of these issues in a WBAI radio interview, and I can see she did a good job in covering these oft-neglected topics, while still making a poignant tear jerker about 2 lost and lonely people who find each other in the oddest of circumstances. Overall, excellent movie. Read more ›

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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars would recommend this June 8, 2013

By oatlamtw

Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase

An act of kindness that brings two misfits together. both feeling alone and unloved. By reaching out they find themselves.
well written, well acted, i would recommend this film to friends.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 33 Postcards! July 5, 2013

By Katie Williams

Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase

this was a surprising movie---- really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone! It really touched my heart to watch the struggle to do what was right!

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute tear Jerk flick, worth the time to see. September 15, 2013

By paul voegtlin

Format:Amazon Instant Video

Such a sweet and touching story that blended two cultures as well as moralities. The movie illustrated that there can be good hearts in people that have done bad things. You will laugh, maybe shed a tear, some predictable parts yet some surprises,, Well written, and excellent acting from all.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Redemption

Guy Pearce does not disappoint. I like the fact that there is no fairy tale ending, but rather, the characters get a second chance at working on the rest of their lives, with the... Read more

Published 1 hour ago by SW

4.0 out of 5 stars A good movie

The movie had a great story to tell. It was easy to follow and understand the characters played. I liked it. The ending was a bitter sweet one. Worth the time to see.

Published 2 days ago by Sweet kisses