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Nov 2, 2022 · 108 minutes ‧ R ‧ 2022. Brian Tallerico. November 2, 2022. 4 min read. “We are nothing without stories, and so we invite you to believe in this one.” Sebastian Lelio’s fascinating “The Wonder” opens with a prologue that includes this line, one that’s crucial to unpacking the film that follows.
- What's with That Weird opening?
- What Does Nurse Wright Drink Every Night?
- Is It True That Anna Doesn't Need to Eat?
- Why Does Anna Refuse to Eat?
- What's with The Narrator at The End?
- Is The Wonder Based on A True Story?
You might have been double-checking which movie you'd put on after seeing this period drama's strange beginning. To the sounds of haunting choral voices, we see the semi-built structure of an old-fashioned two-storey house. The camera pans through what appears to be a lot in a film studio, filled with equipment and other pieces of set. Then actor N...
Nurse Wright's addiction to what looks to be laudanum, a tincture of opium, is another nod to that question of what's real and what isn't. Nurse Wright has suffered her fair share of tragedy -- her baby daughter died and her husband left her soon after -- and the night cap might be her way of coping. Pricking her finger with blood could be a way of...
Not long into Nurse Wright's stay with the O'Donnell family, we see young Anna's mother lean in close to her daughter's face during a nightly prayer. It isn't clear if we're witnessing a loving kiss on the forehead or something more disturbing. Nurse Wright soon escalates her watch over the miracle patient by insisting the O'Donnells no longer come...
Even after Nurse Wright reveals her findings to the committee, Anna's mother refuses to admit the truth. She and her husband are willing to let the experiment continue, even if Anna dies, refusing to give up their religious beliefs. In any case, Anna has "chosen" the path to death, believing that if she dies, "one soul will be released... from Hell...
In the end, Nurse Wright uses the power of storytelling and belief to save Anna. After discovering the horrifying narrative Anna's mother has fed her, Nurse Wright convinces Anna she could face a different fate: That she can die and make her sacrifice, but also be reborn as a 9-year-old again who didn't suffer terrible acts. Mixing the opioid liqui...
Irish-Canadian writer Emma Donoghue adapted The Wonder from her own 2016 novel (Donoghue did the same with her 2010 novel Room, the 2015 adaptation seeing Brie Larson win the best actress Oscar). The story of The Wonder isn't based on real-life events but was inspired by the phenomenon of "the fasting girl," dating back to the 1500s, whereby girls ...
Nov 16, 2022 · Florence Pugh hunts for miracles in Netflix’s strange thriller The Wonder. The star of Midsommar and Don’t Worry Darling stars in the story of an 11-year-old girl living on ‘manna from heaven’
- Katie Rife
Sep 3, 2022 · ‘The Wonder’ Review: Florence Pugh Discovers a Miracle. Sebastián Lelio’s sumptuous Netflix adaptation of the Emma Donoghue novel is all about the power of belief, often in unexpected packages....
Nov 16, 2022 · The Wonder may buckle under lofty ideas the film seems reticent to explore with the religious fervor its subject would call for, but it is a beautiful and haunting film thanks to the impeccable behind-the-scenes talent and Pugh's magnetism.
- Senior News Editor & Critic
Nov 16, 2022 · A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about everything (but not anything) across entertainment, tech, social good, science, and culture. Florence Pugh commands the screen in Sebastián ...
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Nov 16, 2022 · Pros. Florence Pugh's commanding performance. Kíla Lord Cassidy's breakout supporting turn. An atmospheric, gothic mood. Cons. A repetitive second act. Several thinly sketched supporting...
