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

Sweet British period film about the friendship between an idealistic Jewish boy and his carefree Jamaican neighbours

Eleven-year-old David is so passionate about cricket, he barely notices he doesn't know how to play. But when his cricket-mad new neighbors teach him the game, David begins to emerge from his 'wondrous oblivion'. Trouble is, David's Jewish, his neighbors are Jamaican and this is 1960 in pre-multicultural London.

Wondrous Oblivion is a delightful film with an important message. Sam Smith engages as David, and there is a wonderful rapport between him and his neighbors: daughter Judy (newcomer Leonie Elliot) and father Dennis, played by Delroy Lindo from Malcolm X, and Gone in Sixty Seconds. Coincidentally, Jamaican-born Lindo actually grew up in Lewisham, where the film is set, at around the same time.

And it's not just David that matures as a result of meeting these happy-go-lucky Caribbeans : his mother Ruth (Emily Woof – The Full Monty, Velvet Goldmine) and father Victor (Stanley Townsend) gradually become less afraid of life. Wondrous Oblivion was written and directed by Paul Morrison, who garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film for his first feature Solomon and Gaenor. Recommended, even if you don't play cricket. ***½/***** stars.