SFF 2011 Review: 33 POSTCARDS

33 POSTCARDS is a film of special significance, as it marks the first official Chinese-Australian (New South Wales) film collaboration. At the Sydney Film Festival this year, where it had its world premiere, it won the Community Relations Commission Award. Just a couple of weeks later at the Shanghai International Film Festival, where it had its Chinese premiere, its lead actress Zhu Lin won the New Talent Award.

Directed by Pauline Chan and inspired by real life events, 33 POSTCARDS tells the story of a young Chinese orphan Mei Mei (Zhu Lin) who has been dreaming of meeting her Australian sponsor of many years, Mr Randall (Guy Pearce). Her opportunity comes when her orphanage travels to Australia to compete at a music festival. However, when she finally gets to meet Randall, she realises that his life is completely different from what he has described in the 'picture cards' that he sends her.

33 POSTCARDS is not a big budget film, and the production looks at times like it is made for television. There are also some plausibility issues with the story. However, the performances more than make up for these issues. Newcomer Zhu Lin is not just beautiful, but also immensely likeable. She gives a confident performance and portrays the innocence of her character convincingly. With her role, she clearly establishes herself as a talent to watch. Her award at Shanghai should not be her last, and hopefully she will get plenty more opportunities to dazzle the screen with her performances and bright smile. Guy Pearce also stars in the film, and gives a strong performance as a man with a dark past but a good heart. It is perhaps surprising that Pearce and Zhu are so vastly different in their approaches to acting, but yet there is such fantastic chemistry between them.

In the end, it is easy to overlook the flaws and wholeheartedly recommend 33 POSTCARDS. It a touching film that gently tugs on one's heartstrings, and is filled with sweetness, love and hope for life. Cultural differences are highlighted in a most respectful manner, and the message that people from vastly different backgrounds can accept each other and live in harmony comes through strongly and clearly.