An Australian Story: Oranges and Sunshine

Michael O’Neil, from Perth, has found a soft spot in this blog: I am woefully unconversant when it comes to movies. So, when someone sends us a post about movies, we’re all over it! Thanks Michael. America mostly attends movies on Fridays and Saturdays — so far as I know — so here we go…

Oranges and Sunshine (2011) was a hard movie to watch, for us Aussies, at least. Based on a true story, the sometimes heart-warming and sometimes heart-wrenching movie portrays the government-sponsored removal of thousands of children from England to Australia from the 1940s through the 1970s.

The heroine of the story is a gutsy English social-worker, whose unwavering commitment to them finally saw official acknowledgement of the injustice perpetrated upon them. For me, a highlight was her commitment to them rather than simply a commitment to a cause.

The movie includes some street-scenes of our hometown, Perth, and the surrounding countryside. I am not sure how available the DVD will be in the US, but can be downloaded or rented from iTunes/AppleTV.

Has anyone seen it? What did you think?

A similar story, if you like this one, is Rabbit Proof Fence, which chronicles the fate of Australian aboriginal children and families caught in a similar web of state-sponsored, well-intentioned intervention.