Filmoria

Richard Lennox

March 28, 2011

 

In the late 1980′s a social worker, Margaret Humphreys, uncovered one of the worst atrocities in UK social history: the deportation of children to former colonies such as Australia. As well as being told that their parents were either dead or didn’t want them, the children often were subjected to severe acts of cruelty in the orphanages or foster homes they were sent to, all the way across the other side of the world. Margaret Humphreys was instrumental in bringing the matter to public attention, forcing the government and charitable organisations to face up to the issue and take responsibility for their despicable actions. Director Jim Loach chose the subject matter for his feature film directorial debut starring Emily Mortimer as social worker, Margaret Humphreys. The film follows the story of Margaret as she accidentally discovers the story of child deportation after an encounter with an Australian woman who is looking for her mother. The case soon snowballs at a massive rate as the scale of those affected becomes apparent. The lives of two men are looked at in close context by the director, Jack (Hugo Weaving) and Len (David Wenham). Jack has a sister in the UK that he has recently discovered, he asks for Margaret’s help to locate their mother. Len is a sceptic who asks for help to find his mother, a last resort for him as he’s spent a large amount of his own money on private detectives for his cause. Margaret moves to Australia in order to devote more time to her work. Her investigations begins to stir up trouble and attracts criticism after allegations of rape and other abusive atrocities are made public, and the good Christian name of The Brotherhood, an Australian religious order that took in many of the deported children, is tarnished by the reports. Margaret finds herself the victim of threats and random attacks, which, along with the pressure of hearing all of these sad tales, causes her to suffer post-traumatic stress and a near breakdown. However, Margaret pushes on desperate to seek some form of justice and reunite families for those affected.

Jim Loach’s first film is a very moving tale which sympathetically relates the story of a handful of children, now adults, who were deported to Australia from the 1950’s to the 1970’s. During the opening sequences to film, one could be fooled into thinking Loach’s goal is to demonstrate the courage of protagonist Margaret Humphreys alone, as she forces people and the government to address the issue she has uncovered. For at least the first quarter of the film there is a very maverick quality, seemingly a ‘Humphreys against the establishment’, type=scenario. However, this quickly changes when Humphreys arrives in Australia and the character study begins. This is where Loach really gets into his stride and the film begins to connect on a very emotional level. The director’s decision to focus on just a handful of characters that interact with Margaret, ultimately wins out. In doing so, Loach is able to really capture a sense of the differing forms of abuse and anguish, be it mental, physical or emotional. Two perfect examples are the characters of Jack (Hugo Weaving) and Len (David Wenham). Both give absolutely stellar performances: Hugo Weaving shows a character that is completely withdrawn and defeated; a person who is not whole in character, yet is passionate in his emotional responses; David Wenham is the opposite, an outgoing Alpha Male who doesn’t want anything from anyone and who feels he must justify his existence by proving his worth, normally through money. It is these story arcs that elevate Oranges and Sunshine above the level of “dreary tale.” Emily Mortimer is also excellent as the outwardly rigid Humphreys, who shows real depth and emotion as the film goes on.

Despite a strong midsection, the film suffers a little from a loose script. Parts of the story at times seem disjointed, as if there was a little too much subject matter for the director to fit in. The beginning is a little long and the ending seems a tad rushed; and, although it is necessary for the film in terms of conclusion, I would have preferred to have seen more in terms of finishing the characters stories. Ultimately, Oranges and Sunshine is moving to watch and should be seen for performances alone. The story is engaging, upsetting and at times deeply poignant.

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Oranges and Sunshine is released in UK cinemas Friday 1st April