Wondrous Oblivion (2003)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Paul Morrison

Writer:

Paul Morrison (written by)

Release Date:

23 April 2004 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Sport

Tagline:

A wide-eyed boy in a narrow-minded world.

Plot:

Eleven-year-old David Wiseman is mad about cricket but no good at it. He has the entire kit but none of the skill...

Plot Keywords:

Cricket | Friendship | 1960s | Bigotry | Racism

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Sam Smith	...	David Wiseman
Leagh Conwell	...	Jessop
Dominic Barklem	...	Pritchard
Jo Stone-Fewings	...	Mr. Pugh
Emily Woof	...	Ruth Wiseman
Yasmin Paige	...	Lilian
Richard Ashton	...	W.G. Grace
Carol MacReady	...	Mrs. Wilson
Stanley Townsend	...	Victor
Osnat Schmool	...	Mrs. Glickstein
Mark Penfold	...	Head Teacher
Tom Roberts	...	James Bryce
Philip Whitchurch	...	Mr. Woodberry
Angela Wynter	...	Grace Wiseman
Petra Letang	...	Loretta Samuel

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic material, some violence, sensuality, language including racial remarks, and brief smoking by minors.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

France | UK | Germany

Language:

English | Hebrew | Yiddish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG | Australia:PG | Germany:6 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, England, UK

Company:

APT Films

London Fields

This is one of the best films about the immigrant experience in the UK that I've seen in a while.

It starts off appearing to be about a very English-looking German Jewish boy who's family are ultra-assimilationist and who wants nothing more than to succeed at the most English of sports, Cricket.

As it unfolds it takes in the experiences of some of the first West Indians to come to England, and are much more talented at cricket but doomed to suffer the depradations of little Englanders by virtue of their high melanin levels.

The complex racial issues that ensue are handled in a way that's sensitive and believable, as long as you can believe that the young jewish boy really is jewish, and not the scion of some old anglo-Norman family. The period detail is pretty spot on as well, though the use of colourised pathe footage slightly jars with the overall aesthetic of the film.

Mercifully, you don't have to be able to understand cricket to get this film, just appreciate how difficult it can be to live in a strange country