Emily Watson has a wonderfully calm demeanour, and a hugely expressive face, which in one concentrated look registers intelligence, wisdom, experience and sympathy. She reminds one of the great Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann who featured in so many of Bergman’s masterpieces.

Here she plays Nottingham social worker Margaret Humphreys who, in the mid-eighties, stumbled across a story which evolved to become a scandal so momentous as to embarrass two sovereign governments and (belatedly) wring reluctant apologies from each of them.

For more than twenty years from the 1950’s ten of thousands of British children from deprived backgrounds were shipped off to Australia with the promise of new families and bright futures. In reality they, and their parents, were lied to and the children suffered humiliation, exploitation, and in some cases slave labour and physical and sexual abuse. How this happened on such a scale without being reported reflects on the power of adults and institutions over children. How it was eventually exposed by Humphreys reflects on the power of the committed individual to do good.    

Jim Loach’s film tells this tale through a judicious choice of individual storylines, and by acknowledging that the issues involved were indeed morally complex, with many in power thinking they were acting for the good. In fact the most interesting character is Len, very well played by David Wenham, who despite his experiences grew up to be a successful businessman who even ploughed his wealth back into the Christian Brothers institution which had so thoroughly exploited him. The film’s skilful writing and editing neatly balance the elements of detective story and moral crusade.

If the film never quite shrugs off the label of ‘worthy’ it nonetheless has many genuine plusses. At the centre is Watson’s excellent performance as Humphreys, risking her own sanity and family in her drive to bring people together. Her eventual meeting with the Christian Brothers is all the more powerful for being so thoroughly understated. The scenes of elderly survivors reminiscing are very moving, and playing Jack, the gentle giant who misses a possible reunion with his mother by months, Hugo weaving is also excellent. Hats off to Social Workers.