Jew Central- Jewish News for Jewish Professionals

Sandy Chertok reviews "Wondrous Oblivion" the new dramatic film by Paul Morrison.

"Wondrous Oblivion" is the new dramatic film by Paul Morrison. The film revolves around a young Jewish boy, David, who lives in South London in the 1960s. David loves the sport of cricket. He collects cricket cards of the professional cricket players and aspires to be a star player on his school’s cricket team. Unfortunately, David is not a good player and, instead, becomes the scorer for the team. His luck changes when a black, Jamaican family moves next door and builds a cricket cage in the back yard. David chooses to befriend the family and must confront the various challenges that result from his friendship with that family.

Morrison focuses the heart of his film on the idea of choices that various individuals make. During the course of the film, various characters have to make choices that involve friendship, love, loyalty, and actions taken caused by racial prejudices. The choices that these characters make shape their lives for better or for worse.

Overall, the film is an entertaining, charming, and enlightening look at life in the 1960s in South London for one particular Jewish family who must make various choices and decisions based on their surroundings and friendships. All of the performances in the film are strong including Sam Smith as David and Delroy Lindo and Dennis Samuels (the father of the Jamaican family). The only forced and unnecessary aspect of the film is a subplot involving David’s mother and Dennis Samuels. However, as a whole, the film is quite a wondrous sight.

About the Author
Sandy Chertok currently has two short films, which she produced and wrote, circulating on the film festival circuit - the coming of age drama "It's All Relative" and the action packed "Winter Solstice." Besides production, Sandy has received numerous accolades for her writing including: finalist in the Chesterfield Writer's Project Fellowship, finalist in the NBC sponsored Writer's Foundation America's Best Original Sitcom Competition for her pilot "For Pete's Sake," and quarterfinalists in the Cinestory and Austin Film Festival's Screenplay Competitions. She received her BFA with honors from New York University.