Wondrous Oblivion (2003)

Eleven-year-old David Wiseman is mad about cricket but no good at it. He has the entire kit but none of the skill. So when a Jamaican family moves in next door and builds a cricket net in the back garden, David is in seventh heaven.

Director:

Paul Morrison

Writer:

Paul Morrison

Stars:

Sam Smith, Leagh Conwell, Dominic Barklem

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Wiseman
Osnat Schmool	...	Mrs. Glickstein
Mark Penfold	...	Head Teacher
Tom Roberts	...	James Bryce
Philip Whitchurch	...	Mr. Woodberry
Angela Wynter	...	Grace Wiseman
Petra Letang	...	Loretta Samuel

Storyline

Eleven-year-old David Wiseman is mad about cricket but no good at it. He has the entire kit but none of the skill, and he's a laughingstock at school. So when a Jamaican family moves in next door and builds a cricket net in the back garden, David is in seventh heaven. But this is 1960s Britain, and when the neighbours start to make life difficult for the new arrivals, David's family is caught in the middle, and he has to choose between fitting in and standing up for the new friends who have turned his world upside-down.

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Plot Keywords:

beer | gift | cricket the sport | downpour | 1960s | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

User Reviews

Mix Jamaica, Judaism and Cricket, and what do you get?

This is a gem of a film which was the opener for the Maine Jewish Film Festival. But it is not about just one of these topics. It is a wondrous story which could take place anywhere in the world. The film succeeds because it uses tired themes ("there goes the neighborhood") and puts a fresh slant on them with terrific acting and cinematography. You do not have to know anything about any of the subjects, Jamaica, Judiasm or cricket, but you will learn something about humanity when seeing this film. Sure, it is not perfect but it is rare to see a bigger budget film handle these themes so well. This film is definitely worth seeking out.

Details

Country:

UK France Germany

Language:

English Hebrew Yiddish

Release Date:

23 April 2004 (UK)

Also Known As:

Davids wundersame Welt

Filming Locations:

Ladysmith Rd, St Albans, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,749, 23 July 2006

Gross USA:

$88,560

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,374,302

Company Credits

Production Co:

APT Films, Met Film Production, Met Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1