JinRoz For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Sindre Kaspersen Australian screenwriter and director Ana Kokkinos' third feature film which was written by dramatists and screenwriters Andrew Bovell, Melissa Reeves, Patricia Cornelius and Christos Tsiolkas, is an adaptation of their play called "Who's Afraid of the Working Class" from 1999 which they co-wrote with playwright Irine Vela. It premiered in Australia, was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 34th Toronto International Film Festival in 2009, in the Official Selection section at the 57th San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2009, was shot on locations in Australia and is an Australian production which was produced by producer Al Clark. It tells the story about a 15-year-old boy named Daniel, a student named Katrina, a brother named Orton, a sister named Stacey and a sister and brother named Trisha and Arthur whom has left their homes. Distinctly and precisely directed by Australian filmmaker Ana Kokkinos, this quietly paced fictional tale which is narrated firstly by the children, lastly by the mothers and from multiple viewpoints, draws an increasingly reflective and heartrending portrayal of twenty-four hours in the life of five mothers and their children. While notable for its distinct and atmospheric milieu depictions, reverent cinematography by Australian cinematographer Geoff Burton, production design by production designer Simon Mccutcheon, film editing by film editor Jill Bilcock and use of sound, colors and light, this character-driven and narrative-driven story about ingrained relations between parents and children where a fashion designer named Gina worries about her son's whereabouts, an 18-year-old contacts a man he met at a party, a brother asks his sister about their stepfathers and two friends goes looking for new clothes rather than going home after their school day has ended, depicts multiple dense and interrelated studies of character and contains a great and timely score by Polish composer Cezary Skubiszewski.This generational, situational, at times humorous, somewhat melodramatic and engagingly conversational drama from the late 2000s which is set in Melbourne, Australia in the 21st century, where a distinct and noteworthy filmmaker surpasses her previous feature films and where a pregnant mother named Rhonda is introduced to her new case manager named Gail, an old lady misses her son named Jimmy, and a single mother named Bianca encounters a generous father named Peter, is impelled and reinforced by its fragmented narrative structure, subtle character development and continuity, mindful examination of its variegated and significant themes, graceful and rare scenes between Orton and Stacey and the acutely interconnected acting performances by Australian actresses Frances O'Connor, Deborra-Lee Furness, Miranda Otto and all the actors and actresses in the roles as the children. A cinematographic, heart-shaped and down-to-earth character piece.

brimon28 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?

t-pitt-1 I totally disagree with the first review of Blessed. I found the film utterly absorbing and very moving and I was totally caught up in the unfolding dramas of the children's (and their mothers') lives. I don't agree that the story was clichéd or the characters one-dimensional. Other members of my film discussion group said the same thing - not one person found fault with the film. It was bleak and sad but certainly spoke to me as a mother and former teacher. The young actors who played the children were marvellous and the adult actors played their parts in a very low-key and realistic way. I barely registered the fact that some of them were among Australia's top actors. As I came out of the cinema I was thinking, 'There but for the grace of god go I...' Anna Kokkinos has done a wonderful job. The cinema I saw it in was full, and at the end hardly anybody left while the end credits were rolling (most unusual). You could have heard a pin drop. I highly recommend this film.

gregking4 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.