Oranges and Sunshine
Review
by Anthony Morris
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Oranges and Sunshine
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In the mid-1980s, Margaret Humphreys (Emily Mortimer) was a UK
social worker who started hearing stories about children shipped out to
Australia in the 50s and 60s.
Initially disbelieving - surely
the government wouldn't have organised a mass deportation of children
in government care, many of whom still had family in the UK - she
started investigating the forced migrations.
Working
pretty-much single-handedly, she repeatedly travelled from the UK to
Australia, gradually putting together a picture of children torn from
their families, send halfway around the world and deposited in homes
that were nothing more than brutal work camps.
Many of the
people she met were scarred for life from their experiences; some of
those responsible made threats against her life.
With an
excellent cast (Hugo Weaving and David Wenham both play survivors of
child migration who've been deeply affected by their experiences in
very different ways) and a real-life story than nothing short of
heart-breaking, director Jim Loach has created a film that is quietly
and firmly devastating.
Without going over-the-top in any way,
this spells out the nightmare these children went through in a fashion
that'll break even the hardest of hearts.
The story itself
isn't really all that dramatic - while there are obstacles in
Humphries' way this isn't a film where you seriously wonder if she'll
ever get the job done, and the stories of most of the people she meets
are largely a matter of re-telling their pasts.
But the plight
of these children, how it shattered their lives and the small steps
Humphries can take with them to try and make things right, is so
powerful and moving the result is a film that's truly unforgettable. 4 out
of 5
Oranges and Sunshine
Australian release: 9th June,
2011
Official
Site: Oranges and Sunshine
Cast: Hugo Weaving, Emily Watson and David Wenham
Director: Jim Loach
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