Oranges and Sunshine

R

Released Oct 21, 2011

1 hr. 45 min.

History

Drama

List

71%

73 Reviews

Tomatometer

70%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Until the early 1970s, thousands of British children -- many orphans, others taken by social workers from broken homes -- were packed onto ships bound for Australia. Promised "oranges and sunshine," many instead endured abuse in workhouses as virtual slaves. In 1987, Nottingham, England, social worker Margaret Humphreys (Emily Watson) learns the horrific extent of this program as she attempts to help two of its survivors, the timid Jack (Hugo Weaving) and the violent Len (David Wenham).

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Critics Consensus

Grounded in a heartwrenching fact-based story, steered by Loach's sensitive direction, and led by a powerful performance from Watson, Oranges and Sunshine sidesteps its pacing problems and occasionally clichéd screenplay.

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Raven M

This movie is heartbreaking for several reasons. On the same level as "The Sound of Freedom", the British government saw these children as a deficit. Born to either unwed mothers or very poor women, their solution was to quietly send these children to Australia by lying to them. Most were taken into to state care via social service due to unfit homes. The mothers were lied to and told their children had been adopted into loving homes with better living conditions while the children were told their mothers had died. Many went into orphanages and doled out to less-than-ideal living situations where they were used as slave labor, or abused physically, mentally, emotionally and sometimes sexually by the people who were supposed to be caring for them. One day, it comes to the attention of a social worker who is determined to uncover the truth and possibly re-unite adult children who just want to know who they are. The scandal exposed by her search for the truth causes both governments to take responsibility for this violation of human rights and further shines a light on how far back and how deeply human trafficing goes.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/28/23

Full Review

Daniel

Decent kDrama, but does paint Korean's as pretty bad people. So many annoying characters, really frustrating actors, but the wife enjoys it!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/28/22

Full Review

christopher c. m

I know this is based on a true story, though I have no idea how much is based in fact and how much is fiction. Because movies always change things, from tiny things to turning real people to other races or genders to major plot points. Sometimes these "true" stores is only one tiny piece of reality. That said, since I don't know what happened and what's fiction I won't go further. But I can say this when it comes to true stories. You need who, what, when, where and why. The movie supplies us with who, what, when and where but forgets something important WHY? Why did they do that? Were the real kids black and the movie left that fact out? Was it racist? Was it they were poor? Was it a classicist action? Leaving out why makes this a exercise in just talking. And that is why the movie fails, not bothering to find out why? The motive of such a horrible act. The movie has no stance to stand on. Honestly without the WHY the plot real or not makes no sense. We needed WHY! Plus another movie that doesn't earn the R rating because of the stupid ONE F-bomb rule which I will keep calling the conservative MPAA on for being stupid.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Important story tied to a fairly engrossing screenplay.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

História bem triste sobre crianças enviadas para outro país contra sua vontade e como uma mulher ajudou-as a reencontrar suas origens. O filme tem alguns momentos bem clichês e outros um tanto inesperados que causaram uma certa surpresa positiva.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

When humans don't act human.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

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Jim Loach

Director

Emily Watson

Margaret Humphreys

David Wenham

Len

Hugo Weaving

Jack

Richard Dillane

Merv

Lorraine Ashbourne

Nicky

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

It takes one of the most obscene scandals in 20th-century British politics and all but kills it off with its self-righteous stance, plodding script, mournful violins and clunky construction.

Aug 30, 2018

Full Review

Mark Feeney

Boston Globe

The sincerity of feeling is unmistakable. So's the flat-footedness of the writing.

Rated: 1.5/4

Nov 3, 2011

Full Review

Leba Hertz

San Francisco Chronicle

Emily Watson, who always brings a special grace to the screen, gives a multilayered performance to the role of Margaret Humphreys, who not only puts her own family dynamic at risk but finds herself physically threatened.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 27, 2011

Full Review

Frank J. Avella

Edge Media Network

The film is heartbreaking, enraging, and ultimately uplifting, thanks to Loach's economic direction and Rita Munro's focused screenplay. The magnitude of the insanity is sometimes hard to grasp.

Rated: A-

Apr 21, 2022

Full Review

Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

Oranges & Sunshine is a well-made film, but its importance surpasses its ability to entertain.

Apr 16, 2022

Full Review

Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

A work of controlled, retrospective outrage, telling the bizarre true story of how tens of thousands of young British lives were irrevocably ruined.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jun 3, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Until the early 1970s, thousands of British children -- many orphans, others taken by social workers from broken homes -- were packed onto ships bound for Australia. Promised "oranges and sunshine," many instead endured abuse in workhouses as virtual slaves. In 1987, Nottingham, England, social worker Margaret Humphreys (Emily Watson) learns the horrific extent of this program as she attempts to help two of its survivors, the timid Jack (Hugo Weaving) and the violent Len (David Wenham).

Director: Jim Loach
Executive Producer: Suzanne Alizart, Arnab Banerji
Screenwriter: Rona Munro
Distributor: Screen Media Films
Production Co: Screen Australia
Rating: R (Some Strong Language)
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 21, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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