Dead Letter Office (1998)

An interesting blend between myth and reality, Dead Letter Office is a sweet and quirky film set in Australia.

Alice's father abandoned her when she was young. It didn't stop her writing letters to him. When her life is going nowhere, she decides to see if she can find her dad using the experts at the Dead Letter Office by getting a job there herself. Her supervisor is a Chilean who escaped General Pinochet's death squads. A relationship ensues; the story takes off, slowly.

The acting and direction is fine in this film. The writing is perhaps just a touch over dramatic and there are serious pacing issues about 3/4 of the way through. 

Viewers will likely be drawn into the Chilean's issues as they are more veiled and his social group much more interesting. Alice mopes around in a melancholy funk for most of the film - not exciting cinema.

One of the principle themes as it relates to the title is that sometimes we find ourselves at an impasse, unable to move on. At these points, we need other people to help us regain traction and find a new direction.

Truth: "Where did we come from?" is just as important a question as "Where are we going?" 

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