Wondrous Oblivion

Eleven-year-old David Wiseman is fanatical about cricket. It's doubly odd, given that he's both hopeless at it and the son of European Jewish refugees, who don't share his enthusiasm for the sport.

When the Samuels family from Jamaica move in next door and build a cricket net in their back garden, he couldn't be happier, especially when Mr Samuels gives him coaching. David gets on the school team and becomes popular with his peers. All seems well.

But, with racist neighbours all around, David's wondrous oblivion cannot last much longer...

This second feature from writer/director Paul Morrison probably won't match the Oscar-nominated success of its predecessor, but is otherwise an altogether more enjoyable film.

Solomon And Gaenor, a drama about the impossible love between an East European Jewish boy and a Welsh girl in an early 20th century mining village, was heavy going, worthy but dull, while Wondrous Oblivion manages to make its serious points within the framework of an uplifting comedy.

True, there are few surprises in store and the piece as a whole has a distinctly old-fashioned air - excepting some slightly intrusive effects work, where David's cricket cards come to life - but it does what it sets out to do nicely, with memorable performances from the ever-reliable Delory Lindo (Mr Samuels) and Emily Woof, as David's mother.