Matilda Naimo (Xjannah Matsi) lives in a village on Bougainville with her mother Dolores (Healesville Joel) and the rest of her community.
When the 'crisis' happens, and all movements in and out of the area are suspended, and all expats are sent home, the community finds themselves with no schoolteacher.
It is at this point that a Mr. Watts (Hugh Laurie), an Englishman who refuses to leave - and so finds himself the only white man left on Bougainville - is hired to teach all the students.
The only trouble is, he isn't a teacher. He has absolutely no idea how or even what to teach the children. The only thing he can think of is to read to them from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the book that has always given him hope and helped him through hard times before.
It is as he reads to the class that Matilda - who imagines herself as a part of the story, even 'meeting' Pip (Eka Darville) for herself, and sharing in his exploits - finds hope too in the words of Dickens, which allow her to escape her difficult existence and see beyond her own small community into a wider world that is waiting for her.
The screenplay - written by Andrew Adamson, who also directed the film - is absolutely superb. Unfortunately, I can't speak of its closeness to the original source material of Lloyd Jones's novel, as I have not yet read it (though after seeing this film, I fully intend to read it as soon as possible). But the balance of high-tension action (featuring a group of rebels who threaten Matilda's simple village life) and beautiful, heart-warming scenes of a teacher who has such a touching impact on all his students is incredibly well-executed.
All of the characters (including the smallest of bit parts) are clearly defined, and all are written with their own histories and conflicts, fears and dreams.
But a good script is not enough; you need talented actors to portray the roles. Fortunately, this film is filled with just that. Hugh Laurie brings the character of Watts to life in the most beautifully understated way; he is most assuredly the perfect choice of actor to play this part.
Newcomer Xjannah Matsi shines in her portrayal of Matilda. I don't know if she has appeared in anything else before or since, but she was also certainly the right choice for this character. She has an ability to connect to the character in such an amazing way, you will feel and believe everything she does when you watch it yourself (that's when, not if; you absolutely must watch this movie).
Grant Major's production design is wonderful. As someone who has spent some time in that part of the world, I felt a lot of nostalgia while watching this, and a strong connection to the natural environment. The locations (and the few artificially constructed sets) go such a long way to building and establishing the reality of this film.
There is a fair amount of violence in this film; I feel I ought to warn those who may be particularly sensitive to such things. Even though the film's plot is taken from a novel, the novel (and consequently the film) are inspired by true events, or rather by a true part of history. These exact events may not have ever taken place, but the sorts of things that go on in the film almost certainly happened in some way or in some instance.
Even so, I would most certainly recommend the film to anyone. Yes, it may be difficult to watch at times, but I don't think that will excuse you from doing so.
8 out of 10.
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