Blessed (2009)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

What a waste of my time!!!

Expected more

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

I attended the International Premiere of "Blessed" at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. Many of my favorite films have come from Australia, so I had high hopes going into "Blessed," and was not disappointed. This is just the kind of film I look for -- a sweet little gem that will make you laugh and cry."Blessed" follows five mothers and seven kids -- three boys and four girls -- aged 14-18, as they wander the streets after having run away or been abandoned by their parents. Left to fend for themselves, each teen's plight is poignantly portrayed by a talented young group of Australian actors culled from thousands. Mostly unknowns, I did recognize the terrific Harrison Gilbertson as Daniel, who starred in "Accidents Happen," one of favorites from this year's Tribeca Film Festival. The mothers are appropriately anguished at the apparent loss of their loved ones, not knowing whether or not they'll ever come home. The vulnerable teens fall prey to their own as well as others' desires, and there are enough twists and turns to add additional layers to an already compelling set of stories. "Blessed" left me with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. It's a superb character-driven study of the bond between mothers and children.

This ageing reviewer usually flies straight into print after seeing a film, but Blessed provoked thought and discussion. Kokkinos has made a reverential tribute to Akira Kurosawa, who half-a-century ago made Rashomon. Maybe Kurosawa was not the first to use the dramatic overlays and interlinks of groups of people to puzzle and then mystify the audience. But he surely perfected it, and Kokkinos applies the technique to effect. Some might see a resemblance to the various versions of La Ronde, and we do expect to see the characters meet towards the finish. The characters are admirably rendered by a great cast, and I think the casting agent deserves credit for persuading such top performers to appear in such a difficult play. It is difficult to pick out any one as outstanding, but Otto's scream was electrifying. Does anyone remember the screams in Rashomon?

Anna Kokkinos extracts excellent performances from her actors - particularly the young ones. Even actors like Deborah Lee-Furness and Miranda Otto, whom I usually find dull, shine in this heavy-handed plodder with a multi-strand plot about three dysfunctional families. There are a few admirable moments, when there is little or no dialogue - Miranda Otto dancing; and a scene in which she and William McInnes meet at a bar - beautifully played. But when characters say things like ' You never touch me' (really!) ..what is there for the audience to discover? There is also a scene in which an elderly woman faces a young housebreaker - it absolutely creaks with clichéd sub-Pinter ponderousness, as does much of this worthy portrait of working-class suffering, produced by the comfortable bourgeoisie. However the most pernicious moral aspect of this piece is that, of the three mothers who face possible tragedy, it is the 'bad' mother who cops it. Apparently the catering during the production of this movie was excellent, so you can rest assured that no-one involved in its making actually suffered.

Anna Kokkinos' films have always been provocative and confronting. Her latest, Blessed, is no exception. Like her previous films it deals with some big and important themes like adolescent angst, teens struggling with their own sexuality, trying to find their sense of identity. But here Kokkinos and regular co-writer Andrew Bovell have tackled more ambitious themes as well. Blessed looks at the relationship between mothers and their children, and the physical and psychological damage they unwittingly inflict on their offspring through neglect, indifference, selfishness, or because they are too absorbed in their own world and its problems. Blessed follows five different stories and characters from different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds in a non-linear structure that jumps between the various strands. We first see the kids' point of view and then we follow events from the mothers' perspective. Not all of the stories will have a happy ending. Kokkinos has assembled a strong cast, including Deborra-Lee Furness, William McInnes, and Miranda Otto, while Frances O'Connor is heart wrenchingly good. The young cast also acquit themselves well. Cezary Skubiszewik's haunting and sublime score heightens the emotional punch.