Wondrous Oblivion

This film is simply quite magical.

Its subject matter is really racial hatred in Britain in the early 1960s, but it is done against the background of a Jewish boy being taught to play cricket by an Afro-Caribbean who has moved in next doors.

The charming script is matched by outstanding performances throughout, with Delroy Lindo being topped only be the young, and excellent Sam Smith.

Perhaps most rewarding of all is that there are no cop-outs in this film- the boy doesn't get the girl and win the game. He has to make a choice, which is beautifully handled.

A sensitive and well-made study of the impact of two waves of immigrants on London communities: the first in the form of a young family of German-born Jews driven out by Hitler, the second in the form of their new neighbours from Jamaica. Cricket is the medium which draws together young cricket-mad David and his new neighbours - especially the cricket-made father and daughter of the family. But the friendship also leads David's young mother, neglected by her workaholic, decent and God-fearing husband, to develop a crush on her more warm-hearted, more vibrant but also decent and God-fearing West Indian neighbour whose habit of spending all day in a string vest and more free-and-easy manner is something of a contrast with her husband's straightlaced attitude and permanent uniform of woolly cardigan. Both David and Ruth fall to the temptation to exploit their new friends: David uses Judy to help him improve his cricket, Ruth attempts to use Dennis for the sexual satisfaction she is missing out on as her husband works all hours to improve the family's fortunes (and send his children to expensive schools). But when Judy turns up at David's birthday party he turns her away; and when Ruth makes a pass at Dennis, she is politely but firmly repulsed. This is a lovely film that deserves to be remembered; it is very accurate of the period full of good little touches but also has a strong, positive ending in which both couples, and both families, become stronger and closer despite their diverging paths, as the enmity of the local racists draws them together in near-tragedy.

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.

David Wiseman loves cricket and follows it religiously despite not actually being any good at it. His efforts to get onto the school cricket team start and end with doing the scoreboard while at home his collection of player cards takes up his time. When his Jewish neighbours move out, the Wiseman's find themselves dropping down the neighbourhood suspicion list as the new neighbours are Jamaican. The eldest of the family, Dennis, immediately uproots the roses in the garden and begins doing who knows what, to the amusement of the neighbours. However when it transpires that they have been making a set of cricket nets David ignores the community disapproval and starts to play with the Samuels family.

Featuring a handful of people from Eastenders, UK actors and one Hollywood star this film was a strange find at the cinema but it understandably didn't do a great deal while it was there. From the trailer it seemed that it was clearly going to be about overcoming prejudice and using cricket as a plot device for this. However watching the film it doesn't seem to completely ever decide if it wants to explore this, the relationship between Ruth and Dennis or a coming of age story surrounding David. Although it is perfectly reasonable that the film would try to combine all three of these, it doesn't really pull it off as well as it could have done. Instead of pushing one thread it runs a middle ground for each one of them and in fairness it does it well enough to make for an interesting film albeit one that is neither that charming or convincing.

The cast help hold the threads together by being consistent in their performances. Smith does well in his role although he is perhaps too easily pulled around by the mix of directions associated with his character even if he does do well scene to scene. Lindo was a surprise find in this film mainly because of how famous he is; his character is hardly complex but he is charismatic and talented enough to do well with it regardless. Woof has a strange character and suffers from the film not really sticking with her threads in all regards. Townsend is solid in support while the rest of the cast fill in round the edges well. Nobody is brilliant but the material doesn't really allow for that on many occasions.

Overall then a pretty enjoyable film. It tends to take the middle-road in several threads rather than pushing it out on any one, which does rather reduce the impact while rounding the film out to be more about the people than any one theme. Not fantastic then but a nice film that made for an engaging watch nonetheless.

"Wondrous Oblivion" is a film that has as its motive one of the most boring sports out there (at least for those who don't play it) – cricket. Thankfully, Paul Morrison's second feature, after the award winning "Solomon and Gaenor" (1999), is not about cricket at all.

We are given a coming of age story of a Jewish boy, David (Sam Smith), born in the family of two Holocaust survivors in the 1950s England: Victor (Stanley Townsend), a Polish émigré, and a very young Ruth (Emily Woof), coming from Germany. The boy has an empowering passion for cricket, obvious from his massive card collection of cricket celebrities. However, he is totally rubbish at it. His destiny is to change when a Jamaican émigré family comes next door, and sets up an improvised cricket court. Dennis Samuels (Delroy Lindo) teaches the boy the craftsmanship of the sport, and becomes a close friend of David.

All seems a very familiar bad-sportsman-turns-great story, but Morrison's script is ingenious enough not to fall in the stereotypical Hollywood film-making. The boy doesn't end up the great sportsman that we all wish him to be, but learns something greater, something more important in the process. And this is the 'wondrous oblivion' the author intended to deliver… The 1960s as a whole becomes a decade of surprising changes and animosity, and yet all characters seem to remain static in their conception of their beliefs.

This is a good film, and it is worth seeing for the original cinematography and a moving performance from Emily Woof ("Passion", "The Full Monty"), which steals the whole film. Watch out for the dance scene with Lindo, which is dominated both by passion, and religious taboos, and it is surprisingly sexy. The only three problems in the movie are the simplicity with each the Holocaust theme is being treated, the poor knowledge of Jewish faith, as well as the stereotypical two-dimensionality of the entire supporting cast. But this applies only for a picky audience.

"Wondrous Oblivion" is one of those films that one cannot dislike, or at least loathe. Pacing, beautiful, and quite funny really.