The Wonder (Netflix, 2022)
Florence Pugh stars in the Sebastián Lelio-directed costume drama The Wonder, based on Emma Donoghue's novel of the same name.
The Wonder is a story about the importance of telling stories. It has important things to say about the dangers of religious extremism, without diminishing the value of belief itself. It also has things to say about the importance of feminism and the dubious powers of the patriarchy, without suggesting that all men are bad or that all women are good.
The Wonder takes place in 1862, in a little village in the Irish Midlands. It follows the story of the eleven-year old Anna O'Donnell (Kila Lord Cassidy) who stopped eating four months ago but is still alive and well.
English nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) is brought in to observe the child, who is visited by religious tourists who want to watch the miracle. But is Anna as the saying goes really 'surviving on manna from heaven' or are there less saintly motives in play?
The Wonder is not a thriller, strictly speaking, but it does contain a mystery that may or may not be solved. Both Pugh and Cassidy are amazing in their parts. For Pugh it is her second home run of the year, after her starring role in the thrilling but uneven Don't Worry Darling.
The Wonder is directed by Chilean director Fernando Lelio, who won an Oscar for his wonderful movie Una Mujer Fantastica, about the trials and tribulations of a transgender woman.
His sense for dramatic detail is present again in this tense and gripping movie, that has a fair number of twists up it's sleeve, even when you think you know where it is going.
The Wonder is definitely one of the better Netflix originals that the streamer has released.
It is a pity that after screening at festivals The Wonder is not shown in cinemas, but it is definitely worth the watch.