5/5 An Aussie fairytale in the Grimm Bros. mode
  by R. Hewitt (los angeles, california United States)
I'm afraid we have a difference of opinion here for CHMHY,split between pro and con. Well let me throw in my vote for the pro side.Ever since I first viewed this film it has haunted me,I knew I had to own it-so I got a copy of the tape,now I think I have to get the DVD.The performances all around are impeccable,Hughes,Nevin,and especially the child actor,Gledhill.I wonder whatever became of him? Was this just a flash in the pan role for him or did he go on acting regionaly?It is a performance of remarkable sensitivity and naturalism.That said the film itself looks great.Lush and golden the colors pop out at you.The musical score is one that I also had to seek out for its singular delicate beauty-is Ray Cook another regional talent, I can't think of another score that he has composed?It has a sort of P.Glass-like hypnotic quality.Then there is the story itself a shameless tearjerker I'll admit but so real, and skewed with a sense of unreallity-an almost supernatural quality near the end.(The Wendy Hughes boat departure scene,short as it is has a flash of "Titanic" terror about it,and at the same time a sad irony.Anyway this duality is what keeps me coming back to this film again and again.It's a small classic.

5/5 A strange, textural film
  by
Schultz' "Careful, He Might Hear You" wholly evokes a city of contrasts [Sydney] in the 1930's and 40's and the intricate personalities of the characters entwined in a complex family custody battle of a young boy. More a psychological study of the leading female widow, the supporting cast are all exceptional.

Particularly successful in the leading female role is the fine Australian actor Wendy Hughes (most recently seen in the magnificent Melbourne Theatre Company 2003 production of Edward Albee's "The Goat or Who Is Sylvia?" with Phillip Quast) Also an undoubtable standout, I think, is Geraldine Turner, the irrepressible Australian performer with bewildering versatility, (recently see in Cameron Mackintosh's production of "The Witches of Eastwick" at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne, Australia)

This beautiful period film will certainly not disappoint.

4/5 haunting custody story
  by Max235to1 (Waterford MI USA)
Careful he might hear you, is one of those old films I saw many times on VHS only because it has a beautiful score.17 years later the film stands up to the test of time and still gets me in a place where I am enthralled by the very young lead actors performance and Wendy Hughes performance as Vanessa.Its a dark tale about a little boy caught between the custody chains of two sisters and the fight they ensue to adopt him.Good stuff.

5/5 careful, he might hear you
  by Terri (Crescent City, California United States)
I must say, I have read many reviews on this website about this movie, yet no one has talked about the movie itself, but just about the music and bits and pieces of the movie are being torn apart by most viewers. I saw this movie when it first came out. It's a good story. It's about two sisters trying to get custody of their 7 year old nephew. One sister is single, and in love with the boy's father, and thinks by raising him, she'll win the father's heart. The other sister truely loves the boy along with her husband, they have raised him so far. This sister, who loves the boy, is middle-low class and has medical problems which the rich sister tries to use against her in court. When the rich sister wins custody of the boy, she finds that the boy doesn't like her, and wants to go back to the other sister. It's a real battle, with the rich sister not even considering what the poor little boy wants, which is to live with his other aunt. It's a sad movie, really, if you have kids, it makes you think about what your kids might go through if you don't have a will in tact. Anyway, when all is said and done, dear old dad doesn't want custody of little P.S., and the rich sister drowns in a accident, so P.S. gets to live with who he wanted to begin with! Long time coming you must say. It's a good movie, if you like foreign films. My kids don't like accents, so I have a hard time getting them to watch this movie. I myself liked it and recommend watching it. This movie is set in the 1930's Australia. The acting is wonderful, and the all around story is great. It sure gets me stressed out when poor little P.S tries to explain to the judge that he wants to live with his Aunt Lila. When the judge asks him why, he says Lila told him to say that, but what he meant was Lila told him to tell the judge the truth and tell him who he wants to really live with, but when he says "Lila told me to say that", the judge thinks Lila is putting words in his mouth. Which was not the case. Lila truely loves P.S. and has raised him since his mother died.

5/5 excellent Aussie Film
  by M. Loupe (so. california)
I loved this movie...the scenery, the musical score, but most of all the little boy. What a wonderful actor.
Most of his acting was done with facial expressions. You knew immediately what he was feeling. I would highly recommend the film.