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.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Powerful Australian Drama that shows a true side to the disadvantaged living in Modern Australia.I love a movie that hits close to home and this feature has it all. The directing is first class and the acting in supreme putting this movie in the unique class of "a must see". The viewing is compelling and the ending is emotional. The cast was fantastic and the emotion showed by Frances O'Connor was delivered to perfection. Her chilling scream after the lost of her children was bone chilling and she was well supported by her on screen offspring.If you wondered how many Australian's truly live then I recommend this gem as an accurate account of modern culture alive in Melbourne.

Ana Kokkinos' Blessed is a heartbreaking tale of the love between mothers and their children, and is one of the finest achievements of Australian cinema. The flawless screenplay follows a number of characters through a single day, deftly telling their stories from different points of view until we develop a full understanding of the day's events. Geoff Burton's stunning cinematography focuses on unexpected things – a pattern on a wall, a flash of fabric – and then moves in close to the characters, creating a rich visual texture. The music of Cezary Skubiszewski is one of the finest movie scores of recent years, gently enhancing the drama and the brilliant performances of the actors. The entire cast is superb, but I must make special mention of Frances O'Connor, who gives the performance of her life, and the splendid Monica Maughan, whose brief appearance in the film is truly unforgettable. Blessed represents a triumphant return to form for Kokkinos, after the disappointing Book of Revelation, proving that the astonishing Head On was no fluke. Her uncompromising, insightful, deeply humanist eye makes her one of the most exciting directors working today. Blessed is a deeply moving film that you will never forget, and deserves to be showered with awards.

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.

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.