The Wonder

"Despite the potentially banal science versus religion framing, The Wonder's concerns run much deeper. At its core, it dramatizes the emancipatory power of storytelling while at all times signalling its underlying artifice. That ambivalence is key: is there anything outside of story? Sebastián Lelio creates immense distance between us and this world right from the start—the movie opens on a partially constructed set where Florence Pugh invites us to connect with a fictional tale—then drops us into a fully textured, living, breathing world. Ari Wegner, already responsible for some seriously gorgeous movies, once again nails the look and feel of this environment: rough uneven surfaces, mud, condensation, natural lighting, and maybe the most painterly overcast landscapes I've ever seen. Matthew Herbert's score is an equally good fit, its odd ethereal sounds evoking the encounters with divinity that animate so many of the movie's characters. Lelio's approach takes a clear stance on what's quote-unquote real, but its wisdom lies in taking metaphors seriously as well. A mother’s heavenly kisses. Mana from heaven. Transubstantiation. Their meanings are flexible and overdetermined, particularly given that all this unfolds less than a decade after Ireland's Great Famine. It's an absolute treat for the eyes and ears, and a bracing provocation about the ways we make sense of the world."

"Watched this because Florence Pugh is in it. Yet another tale of what men will put women through in order to meet the narrative they want, yet what women will also do to help each other. Achingly slow with little payoff but it kept my interest. If someone smarter than me could explain the very beginning and end to me, I’d greatly appreciate it. "

"Not sure what this was about but Florence Pugh was amazing in this movie. It was a bit slow on parts but still quite a good movie."

"“We are nothing without stories.And so we invite you to believe in this one” The opening scene of The Wonder thriller mystery period drama starts off immediately breaking the 4th wall. The film within a film almost took me out from the start. But the more I watched I inferred that Lelio, the Chilean director was showing us the power of stories. Which everyday they are used to shape our reality whether positive or negatively. It’s us as a audience to sit and watch him bring Emma Donahue’s novel same name to life. It’s a distinct clash of science and faith/religion. How we can know something is not true deep down inside and still sometimes choose to suspend our disbelief. Great stories are so powerful they can change your perception of your own reality. It’s like watching a magic trick if you know what I mean. Then there’s the whole “fasting girls”phenomenon inspired by little 9 year old girls like Sarah Jacob who found notoriety by literally starving voluntary until death. Yeah sounds crazy but it’s more to the story if you do your research. Florence Pugh gives a incredible performance per usual. I don’t think I have ever watched something from her I didn’t like. It’s a much slower film then I anticipated but still I enjoyed it until the end "

"Read the description and was hooked. I was very interested. It was a slow burn kind of film. Interesting backstories. Interesting ending. I liked it. "

"Also thought the very beginning was weird. Which made me think it was based on a true story but I guess it wasn't? The movie gave me the vibe that this was going to be a horror but at best it was quite eerie, especially with the 4th wall breaking. I did like the ambient sound effects though."

"Beautiful cinematography, performances. Layered story, heavy / haunting messages. "

"5/10 — an interesting story... how is the 11yo still alive after fasting for 4mo? not necessarily a mystery movie, just a drama movie"

"Florence Pugh gave a great performance. The movie was slow and haunting. It showed the power of stories and at times you almost felt as you were a character in the movie. "

"I enjoyed this ! Dark but entertaining and has a nice ending 😇"