Review of Oranges and Sunshine (2010) by Valerie P — 03 Jul 2013

While reading the book (the one with the movie-promo cover, incidentally), I was sure that the film would take Humphreys' intriguing account and transform it into a masterpiece of the screen. Such a juicy, true story of scandal and abuse of power should have provided a formula for rapt viewing. Unfortunately, director Jim Loach drops the ball a bit with this one. Instead of using the screen adaptation to iron out the manuscript's issues, Loach seems to fall prey to exactly the same traps.

Emily Watson was perfectly cast and gives a well-balanced performance, but the film seems to leave gaps in the story and create some confusion.

Less thrilling than maudlin, the screen writing feels lacklustre and dispirited.

It's a real shame that this tremendous story was never really done justice.