*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
Set in the Irish Midlands in 1862, Anna O'Donnell (Kíla Lord Cassidy) is a young girl who stops eating but remains miraculously alive and well. English nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) is brought to a tiny village to observe the eleven-year old. Tourists and pilgrims mass to witness the girl who is said to have survived without food for months. Is the village harboring a saint 'surviving on manna from heaven' or are there more ominous motives at work?
The Wonder is a psychological thriller inspired by the 19th century phenomenon of the "fasting girls" and adapted from the acclaimed novel by Emma Donoghue. It’s directed by Sebastián Lelio who impressed critics in 2017 with A Fantastic Woman which focused on a transgender singer who faces scorn and discrimination after the sudden death of her older boyfriend. It also won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film at the 90th Academy Awards. His most recent films, Disobedience and Gloria Bell featured strong performances from Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz in the former film and Julianne Moore in the latter. Lelio‘s latest film, The Wonder, doesn’t represent the Chilean filmmaker at his best, however, he succeeds at adapting Donoghue‘s novel into a suspenseful drama.
The Wonder is a psychological thriller inspired by the 19th century phenomenon of the "fasting girls" and adapted from the acclaimed novel by Emma Donoghue. It’s directed by Sebastián Lelio who impressed critics in 2017 with A Fantastic Woman which focused on a transgender singer who faces scorn and discrimination after the sudden death of her older boyfriend. It also won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film at the 90th Academy Awards. His most recent films, Disobedience and Gloria Bell featured strong performances from Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz in the former film and Julianne Moore in the latter. Lelio‘s latest film, The Wonder, doesn’t represent the Chilean filmmaker at his best, however, he succeeds at adapting Donoghue‘s novel into a suspenseful drama.
The Wonder features effective performances by Pugh and Cassidy. The former continues to impress with her versatility. It’s only been a couple of months since the controversial film, Don’t Worry Darling, premiered at Venice Film Festival. Despite the behind the scenes drama, Pugh managed to stand out with her portrayal of a 1950’s housewife who begins to suspect that her seemingly perfect lifestyle isn’t real. Pugh’s character in The Wonder, Lib, is an entirely different role as she’s a nurse who’s travelled from England to Ireland in order to find out how a young child has survived without food for four months. Shortly after her arrival, Lib goes from being Anna’s watcher to her saviour as her health deteriorates. Equally as impressive is Cassidy as the mysterious young girl who stuns the people of her home with her four month long fasting but concerns Lib. Solid supporting roles are provided by
Tom Burke as a reporter Lib becomes close with, and Toby Jones as the doctor who hires the nurse, not to take care of Anna but to simply watch.
With his adaptation of Donoghue’s novel, The Wonder, Lelio succeeds at exploring the debate between science and religion. The villagers believe Anna’s ability to survive without nutrition to be a miraculous act of God, however, Lib becomes concerned when the young girl’s health begins to deteriorate. The suspense increases as the nurse tries to save Anna from death. Earlier in the film, it’s revealed that Lib has experienced the tragic deaths of both her husband and baby. Because of this, it’s easy to understand why she wants to try and save Anna and prevent her family from experiencing the same tragedy of losing a child. What’s most frustrating is that, because Anna’s family rely on the seemingly religious miracle that is keeping Anna alive and attracting attention from villagers, they’re allowing the young girl to die. The Wonder isn’t the easiest of watches, however, it’s worth watching for those looking for a compelling and thought provoking drama.
After impressing critics at various festivals in Telluride, Toronto and London, The Wonder is scheduled to be released on the streaming service, Netflix, in November. I am surprised by this decision as I think that The Wonder would have made for a more captivating watch on a bigger screen at the cinema where the technical aspects of the film, including Ari Wegner’s cinematography and Matthew Herbert’s score, could have been better appreciated. I can imagine a lot of casual viewers watching The Wonder at home may lose interest as Lelio taking his time telling the mysterious story and building suspense.
Prior to watching The Wonder, I hadn’t seen any of Sebastian Lelio‘s previous films or read Emma Donoghue’s book so I had no idea what to expect. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised and thought that Lelio had adapted Donoghue’s book into an intriguing and mysterious drama with strong performances by Florence Pugh and Kíla Lord Cassidy.
8/10
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