Let's be realistic.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Sorry but I cannot tolerate films about stupid people and all of the characters in this film are just that. The little boy is good enough but I suspect this was a much more interesting book. Were I this kid, I really can't say I'd want to be related to any of them.The absentee father, Logan, promises to fix things for the kid and then disappears. The rich aunt is conveniently killed in a tacky ferry boat accident. The one time the aunt whom he wanted to live with had her chance, she clams up in an asthmatic attack in court. And her husband, the kid's beloved uncle has a nervous breakdown when the kid colors in his "beloved book". Here in the States we have Lifetime Television Movies - for women. That sums this thing up for me. I guess women might like it. I sure didn't.

"Careful He Might Hear You" is a movie that is hard to forget. Although it enjoyed a certain amount of success when it was released in the mid-1980's, it seems little known today. At the time of writing, this is the seventh review on IMDb. By way of comparison, Mad Max has 220 reviews, but I know which one I think is the enduring Australian classic.The filmmakers had a great starting point, Sumner Locke Elliott's haunting novel. Although many a great book has been mangled when made into a film, that wasn't the case here. The film not only captures the essence of Elliott's work but also recreates an era that is now long gone.Set during the Depression in 1930's Sydney it is the story of six-year old PS, played by Nicholas Gledhill in a heart-wrenching performance. After his mother dies, PS is raised by his Aunt Lila and Uncle George (Robyn Nevin and Peter Whitford). However, when his wealthy Aunt Vanessa returns from England, PS is forced to live with her following a custody dispute. Vanessa, played by Wendy Hughes, is beautiful and sophisticated with upper class manners, but underneath are deep insecurities, which PS discovers in dramatic fashion.Vanessa showers PS with gifts and provides the education the struggling Lila and George can't match, but he is lonely and unhappy. He withholds from Vanessa the one thing she wants most, and the only thing he has power over, his affection. PS emotionally destroys Vanessa, who decides to return to England, allowing PS to return to Lila and George. However PS is sensitive enough to know the unhappiness he has caused Vanessa and regrets it. Then fate intervenes in an unexpected way.Surely the biggest challenge for the filmmakers was in creating a screenplay that translated Sumner Locke Elliott's intimate work to the screen, so much of which centred on PS's thoughts. Without resorting to narration, all was conveyed through the abilities of the actors, a beautifully balanced script and an extraordinary musical score that seemed to express their unspoken thoughts.The score for this film was by Ray Cook, an expatriate Australian who died in 1989. He has one other score to his credit, "Silent Reach", a little known 1983 mini-series, although he was also involved in arranging songs for 1985's "Rebel". His score for "Careful He Might Hear You" is in a similar vein to Vaughan William's "The Lark Ascending" with achingly beautiful violin solos that merge with full orchestra. It is wrong to simply define it as one of the greatest Australian film scores; it is a work that can stand comparison with some of the best scores of all time.Although "Careful He Might Hear You" is almost 30 years old, it hasn't dated. Set in a time 50 years before it was made, there really isn't much that connects it to the 1980's. It did justice to Sumner Locke Elliott's novel, but also stands as a powerful work on its own. It's probably a little hard to find these days, but is well worth the efforts of anyone who does.

"Careful He Might Hear You" showcases the full talent and wonderful potential of the Australian film industry and must rank as one of the best Australian movies ever made. The depth of excellence, talent and acting in this movie is second to none and absolutely superb The plot and background to this movie is intriguing and the script and the way that the plot unfolds keeps the viewer engaged and intrigued until the end. Everything is done to a standard of superb excellence down to the scenery and the portrayal of the two very different lifestyles depicted in this movie. The musical score is absolutely beautiful. Everything about the background and setting of this movie works out perfectly.But this all pales in comparison to the acting. I have perhaps never seen a movie so perfectly cast where each of the actors and actresses involved -even the supporting cast -gives a wonderful and creative depth and dimension to their portrayal of the characters. Nicholas Gledhill is an excellent child actor and a maturity in conveying emotions beyond his years. Robyn Niven is perfect in her role as PS's aunt and guardian Lila and Peter Whitford is also wonderfully believable in his role as her loving, affable husband. John Hargreaves gives a breathtaking performance (if only briefly) in his heartbreaking role as PS's father, who obviously deeply loves his son but is incapable of caring for him.But a special mention must go to Wendy Hughes for her portrayal of Vanessa. This character has many complexities to her personality and Wendy Hughes portrays all of the different aspects to her personality flawlessly and with a depth of reality and emotion that really brings the character to life. She is strikingly, breathtakingly beautiful and she is more than perfect for this role. In fact I would perhaps rank this as the best character portrayal I have seen in Australian cinematic history and one of the best character portrayals I have ever seen in any movie.This movie is seriously underrated and I can't recommend it enough. 10/10 and I'd rate it higher if I could

The film is a superb adaptation of the book. As is true of most adaptations, it doesn't quite live up to the book. Read the book first--and then see the movie. The acting is first-rate. The little boy, Nicholas Gledhill, is amazing. And Wendy Hughes is stunning--what a shame she has never caught on with American audiences in her relatively unproductive American film and television career. The film is another example of the high quality work that comes out of Australia with such frequency.