Synopsis
The story of Margaret Humphreys, a social worker from Nottingham, who uncovers one of the most significant social scandals in recent times – the forced migration of children from the United Kingdom to Australia and other Commonwealth countries. Almost singlehandedly, Margaret reunited thousands of families, brought authorities to account and worldwide attention to an extraordinary miscarriage of justice.
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Cast
- Emily WatsonMargaret Humphreys
- Aisling LoftusSusie
- Hugo WeavingJack
- Lorraine AshbourneNicky
- David WenhamLen
- Tara MoricePauline
- Stuart WolfendenBill
- Richard DillaneMerv Humphreys
- Molly WindsorRachel
- Kate RutterVera
Recommendations
- 90
Village Voice
At the film's center is Emily Watson's pitch-perfect performance as Margaret Humphreys, the real-life social worker who in 1986 stumbled over the hidden practice. - 80
Variety
A deeply moving study of emotionally scarred adults who were illegally deported as children to Australia from Britain in the 1940s and '50s. - 80
Time Out
The movie belongs to Hugo Weaving and David Wenham, both playing what one newspaper dubs "the lost children of the Empire," men broken by the appalling conditions that met them in their new homeland. - 60
Empire
Moving if low-key, Jim Loach's debut feature is proof that compassionate, socially conscious filmmaking runs in the family. - 60
The New York Times
Rona Munro's screenplay for Oranges and Sunshine is unnecessarily flighty. As the story ricochets between Britain and Australia, the film often loses track of time and becomes fragmented as it struggles to integrate too many subplots. What holds it together is Ms. Watson's calm, sturdy performance. - 50
The Hollywood Reporter
Sunshine is stretched thin for the big screen. The decidedly art-house film is better suited for television. - 50
Los Angeles Times
Sometimes the facts can get in the way of the drama, and that's the central problem here. That sense of needing to be true to the record is reflected in an overwhelmed screenplay. - 50
New York Post
Making a true story of social injustice into a gripping narrative requires more imagination than is contained in this well-intentioned but uninspired effort.
