I would be lying if I said I didn't want this film to be better. It's not a piece of high drama by any stretch but it IS a slow burn of a film which highlights the stupidity and boorishness of government agencies when they've done something wrong and don't want to accept any responsibility to what happened to those in their care. When it comes down to individuals having to work on their own to get the information these displaced people so desperately need, SOMETHING is wrong. The film is not a far stretch from reality, having personally experienced this for myself.
I was wondering if they'd address the sexual abuse suffered by the children within the system, as well as the physical toil they dealt with. I am glad to see that this was treated with sensitivity and WITHOUT fanfare. Fortunately it is barely mentioned aside from the last 10 or so minutes of the film. There is more than enough of that going on in recent world happenings anyway.
Don't even get me started on the Christian Brothers anyway... that part of the film brought tears to my eyes as it reminded me very much of the tales my own father - also a ward of the state with the rest of his siblings and under the Christian Brothers' care in the 60s and 70s - told me. Frankly, the less said about that organisation of kiddy fiddlers and abusers, the better.
Hugo Weaving is a minor character in this film but he's no less captivating as a broken man who has suffered from the loss of his identity. Indeed, even David Wenham portrays a victim of abuse in sheer, angry denial perfectly.
Unfortunately Emily Watson's character does not carry much weight which is disappointing as she is the main focus of the film rather than the deported (or "Lost") children. Much of her dialogue is stale and it's the actors around her that pull the movie together. The scripting is very weak at times, however if you can put up with that, it's a film well worth watching.
I can't say I enjoyed it because I am very close to it's subject matter but it was a worthy telling of a tragic mishandling of the lives of children of our past.
I was wondering if they'd address the sexual abuse suffered by the children within the system, as well as the physical toil they dealt with. I am glad to see that this was treated with sensitivity and WITHOUT fanfare. Fortunately it is barely mentioned aside from the last 10 or so minutes of the film. There is more than enough of that going on in recent world happenings anyway.
Don't even get me started on the Christian Brothers anyway... that part of the film brought tears to my eyes as it reminded me very much of the tales my own father - also a ward of the state with the rest of his siblings and under the Christian Brothers' care in the 60s and 70s - told me. Frankly, the less said about that organisation of kiddy fiddlers and abusers, the better.
Hugo Weaving is a minor character in this film but he's no less captivating as a broken man who has suffered from the loss of his identity. Indeed, even David Wenham portrays a victim of abuse in sheer, angry denial perfectly.
Unfortunately Emily Watson's character does not carry much weight which is disappointing as she is the main focus of the film rather than the deported (or "Lost") children. Much of her dialogue is stale and it's the actors around her that pull the movie together. The scripting is very weak at times, however if you can put up with that, it's a film well worth watching.
I can't say I enjoyed it because I am very close to it's subject matter but it was a worthy telling of a tragic mishandling of the lives of children of our past.