Oranges and Sunshine (Jim Loach, 2010) wr. Rona Munro, Margaret Humphreys (book), prod. Camilla Bray, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman; Emily Watson, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham; refugee drama; Oz opening 21 April 2011
Auds may well be in tears just minutes into Oranges and Sunshine, a deeply moving study of emotionally scarred adults who were illegally deported as children to Australia from Britain in the 1940s and '50s. Toplining a superb Emily Watson as Margaret Humphreys, the British social worker who brought the shameful secret to world attention in the late '80s, this standout debut by British helmer Jim Loach, son of director Ken Loach, will make a strong claim for arthouse berths everywhere. World preemed at Pusan, pic is skedded for April 2011 release in Blighty and Down Under. Richard Kuipers, Variety.
Director Jim Loach, working from a lean script by Rona Munro, has crafted a film that breaks your heart and milks more than a few tears in telling what became of some of those children. Ernest Hardy, Village Voice.
In his feature film directing debut, Jim Loach shows all the sensitivity of his famous director father Ken Loach as he attacks the complex subject matter. Succinctly adapted by Rona Munro from Margaret Humphreys' book Empty Cradles, the film is both an expose and a treasure hunt, in which the search for lost families is undertaken. It is also Humphreys' personal story and the physical and mental anguish she suffers as she absorbs the pain of those who have become emotionally numb. Louise Keller, urbancinefile.
Garry Gillard | New: 12 October, 2013 | Now: 26 June, 2020