The Wiseman family, a Polish couple and their two children, have been living quietly in East London. The Wisemans are Holocaust survivors. Their working class neighborhood tolerated this Jewish family even though it's clear they don't like them. As the house next door to the Wisemans becomes empty, a new immigrant family arrives. The only trouble is they are Jamaicans and black, so the neighbors concentrate in the new arrivals and they even try to enlist Ruth Wiseman into their ranks in hating the Samuels family.

At the center of the story is a sweet boy, David Wiseman, who loves cricket. He is a lousy player. Imagine young David's surprise when the next door neighbors put up a netting in their backyard so Dennis, the patriarch, can teach his young daughter, Judy, in how to play the sport. It doesn't take long for David to try to get on the Dennis' good graces because he sees in him the man that can teach him how to be a good player. By sheer persistence, David becomes a good player and begins to gain acceptance among his peers in school as he makes the cricket team.

At the same time, Ruth, who is much younger than her husband, sees also in Dennis a man that is completely different from her own husband. One thing lead to another, and it doesn't take long for Ruth to try to insinuate herself to Dennis, something that he discourages her from doing. David, who has made a good friend in Judy Samuels, has to choose between his newly found school friends and the girl next door on his birthday celebration.

A few of the tough youths in the area decide to take a stand and scare the Samuels from leaving their neighborhood. One night David wakes up and watches in horror as his neighbors' house begins to burn. He is instrumental in alerting the Samuels who are the victims of a hate crime just because the color of their skin.

Paul Morrison, the writer and director of "Wondrous Oblivion", shows a good understanding for the subject of his film. Mr. Morrison doesn't take sides, he just presents the story that feels real and a situation that could have been plausible. Where he has succeeded is in bringing to life characters that feel as though we might have known them. The director also captures that era in London.

Delroy Lindo, a distinguished actor of stage and screen, makes a great impression with his Dennis. Equally sensational is Emily Woof, who as Ruth Wiseman, has the one of the best roles in the film. Ruth, who sees in Dennis all what her man isn't, is naturally attracted to the happy-go-lucky Dennis. Their scenes together at the dance hall and later when she tells him about loving him. Young Sam Smith, who plays David, contributes to enhance the film with his earnest take on the young boy. Leonie Elliott plays Judy Samuels and Stanley Townsend is seen as the elder Wiseman.

"Wondrous Oblivion" shows an excellent director, Paul Morrison, who is one of the best new talent coming from England.

This is a delightful and very entertaining movie. You do not have to be mad on cricket to love it (my partner Janie proves that point) but I suspect it helps.

My own background is quite similar to that of the young lad (not quite so long ago, not quite so poor, not quite so bad at cricket without coaching, not quite so good with coaching......) so my own views on the films charms and resonances are probably unrepresentative. Suffice it to say that the film touched almost all of the right buttons.

There are some lovely, amusing bits. For example, one sequence shows several short shots of the characters playing "yard cricket", including one shot of them trying to practice catching in their sowesters in the pouring rain. Hilarious and delightful.

The racism theme is handled with great sensitivity, but without the complexity that might otherwise make the film profound rather than obvious. The film is sentimental, at the end especially so, to the point of being cheesy. But then quattro formaggio with extra cheese and parmesan on top tastes pretty good.

There are one or two historical anomalies. Most reports of the film I have seen refer to the date as 1960. West Indies toured England with Worrell and Sobers in 1957 & 1963. Worrell was finished by 1966. I think it must therefore be 1963. But there's a lovely scene where the Jewish mother and West Indian father dance to "I'm in a Dancing Mood" by Delroy Wilson - published 1966. In fact most of the Ska (or should I describe some of it as Rock Steady) would have been post 1963 I think. But I suppose I should get a life rather than fret about these things - the music was wonderful. And juxtaposing Ska with "Micky Katz and his Kosher Jammers" and yard cricket worked surprisingly well.

It is a lovely film and well worth the investment of 106 minutes to smile, laugh and be moved.

This is one of the best films about the immigrant experience in the UK that I've seen in a while.

It starts off appearing to be about a very English-looking German Jewish boy who's family are ultra-assimilationist and who wants nothing more than to succeed at the most English of sports, Cricket.

As it unfolds it takes in the experiences of some of the first West Indians to come to England, and are much more talented at cricket but doomed to suffer the depradations of little Englanders by virtue of their high melanin levels.

The complex racial issues that ensue are handled in a way that's sensitive and believable, as long as you can believe that the young jewish boy really is jewish, and not the scion of some old anglo-Norman family. The period detail is pretty spot on as well, though the use of colourised pathe footage slightly jars with the overall aesthetic of the film.

Mercifully, you don't have to be able to understand cricket to get this film, just appreciate how difficult it can be to live in a strange country