The Wonder (2022)
November 18, 2022 7:09 AM - Subscribe

The Irish Midlands, 1862 -- a young girl stops eating but remains miraculously alive and well. English nurse Lib Wright is brought to a tiny village to observe eleven-year old Anna O'Donnell. 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?

Starring Florence Pugh, Kíla Lord Cassidy, Tom Burke, Niamh Algar, Elaine Cassidy, Ruth Bradley, Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds.

Directed by Sebastián Lelio. Screenplay by Sebastián Lelio and Alice Birch, based on the novel by Emma Donoghue (Room).

85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Currently streaming in the US as a Netflix original. JustWatch listing.
posted by DirtyOldTown (5 comments total)
 
I liked this.
posted by umber vowel at 10:05 PM on November 18, 2022


I really enjoyed this. It has some weird elements that seem to have been off-putting for some (hence the bimodal distribution of reviews). But Florence Pugh is, as always, a revelation. I find her ability to embody a steely, but nearly completely constrained, feminine strength in the face of male dominance thoroughly compelling. The narrative contains extremely grim elements, but in the end the message and conclusions are hopeful and uplifting (dare I say, a little like Midsommar?).

Oh and I just saw that this is based on a novel by the author of Room. Im sure there will be many essays written comparing the complementary themes of these two stories.
posted by Illusory contour at 5:30 PM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]


Really enjoyed this. Loved the opening scene. Great acting. Expected a darker ending.
posted by gwint at 7:43 PM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]


*Spoilers ahead*

This got sold to me as a grim, folky horror - for whatever reason - so I was fulllllyyy expecting the movie to end with Florence lighting the fire, and finding that she'd been tricked and the family and priest and journalist had nailed the door of the house shut. Revenge on the English and all that, parallel themes, etc. Was kind of bizarre to watch the movie expecting something brutal to happen and then just nothing. But great movie nonetheless.
posted by Cpt. The Mango at 8:19 AM on November 20, 2022 [1 favorite]


Just watched this and thought it was a really beautiful movie, in many ways, wish I could say why but I'd ruin it for anyone who hasn't watched it yet so I'll shut up but I definitely recommend this
posted by bitteschoen at 7:05 AM on January 4, 2023


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