“THE WONDER” MOVIE REVIEW

 

“THE WONDER”

Movie REVIEW

The movie “The Wonder” is a psychological period drama directed by Sebastian Lelio from a screenplay by Emma Donoghue, Alice Birch and Lelio himself based on the same name novel by Emma Donoghue starring Florence pugh, tom burke, elaine Cassidy, Kila lord Cassidy, Niamh Algar and toby jones.

 

Elizabeth "Lib" Wright, an English nurse, is sent to a rural village in Ireland in 1862 to watch over a young girl named Anna O'Donnell, whose family says she hasn't eaten in months. Sister Michelle, who watches over Anna during the day, must help her in this endeavor, and the two share their findings with Dr. McBrearty must report to a council consisting of the parish priest, Father Thaddeus, the town elder, Sir Otway, and the local landlord, John Flynn.

She visits the O'Donnell homestead and meets the deeply religious family of Anna, her elder sister Kitty, her mother Rosaleen, and her father Malachi. Anna appeared in good health and claimed to have sustained life by eating "manna from heaven." A skeptical Lib knows how to make an audience eager to witness a miracle. At dinner, Lib notices a family photo of a young man. Rosaleen explains that it was her late son. At his lodgings, Lib also meets William Byrne, who now works for the Daily Telegraph. William is sent to report the story and tells Lib that the family is in on a scam.

Judging by Anna's condition, there is no evidence of cheating. Lib develops a friendship with the young girl, teasing her about her own name and giving her a pet name "Nan". Anna continues to pray every night and confesses to Lib that she fears the fate of the Cynics in Hell. Lib believes in Anna's sincerity, which surprises Lib when she becomes intimate with William and has sex with him. Kitty later tells Lib that she and William were once close and starved to death after his family broke into their house to avoid the embarrassment of a public death after sending him to school.

Lib discovers that Anna's family prays with her every night before bed and her mother kisses her on the mouth as part of the ritual. Lib kicks the family out of Anna's room, much to their chagrin. Father Thaddeus reprimands Lib for her actions, but she is determined. She receives no support from Doctor McBrearty, who speculates that Anna might be converting sunlight into energy. After some time, Anna's health starts to deteriorate. William informs Lib that he has already filed his thesis, in which he blames Anna's expected death on her family and society.

Desperate to save her, Lib tries to force-feed Anna, but she refuses alimony. Malachi admits that he can't interfere because Anna has promised him that she won't ask him to eat. The Lib assumes that the manna, referring to the mother, is food chewed into her mouth from her kisses. She reveals this to Anna, who tells Lib the reasons for her fast; Her older brother took care of her and raped her several times before dying of a mysterious illness sometime later. She blames God for his anger, and Rosaleen tells her that Anna is responsible for her brother's death. Anna hopes to free her brother's soul from shame by sacrificing her own life.

Lib calls a council meeting and tells them her findings about Anna's mother, but they refuse to believe her. Sister Michelle assures that there is no evidence that Rosaleen fed Anna. Father Thaddeus says that he will offer mass to the dying girl the next night. Back home, Lib tells Rosaleen that she lost her only child shortly after birth, and begs her mother to avoid a similar fate. Rosaleen rejects Lib, saying that God has chosen her. Lib meets with William and devises a plan to help Anna escape. When the family is at mass, Lib tells Anna to believe that "Anna" may die, but "Nan" will live. As she was about to die, she was brought to a nearby holy well and told that "Anna" could go to God. She closes her eyes and dies before coming back to life. Lib feeds her and returns home. Before setting fire to the building, she places her child's socks and loden under Anna's bed.

 

Lib meets with the council and tells them that Anna died of natural causes before Lib accidentally knocked over the lamp and set it on fire. They relieve her of her duties. Before returning to Dublin, she meets sister Michael, who believes she left earlier and saw a man and a young woman leaving the area on horseback. In Dublin, Lib meets William and Nan, who has recovered his health. Boarding a ship bound for Sydney, the trio set sail like a Cheshire family.

While director Lelio's storytelling has some obstacles, the screenplay keeps you invested in the film. After establishing all the characters and background of the story, the film turns into a slow-burning thriller in the last half. The events in the latter half of the film keep you on the edge of your seat, aided by an eerie soundtrack. The theme of the film is the battle between faith and reason. 'Pugh's character challenges God's work every time, and the confrontational scenes where the medical fraternity, the church, and Elizabeth question each other come off well. No one was willing to accept defeat and Anna was the only young woman to lose the fight.

The movie starts and ends with a twist, if anything else it would be to give away spoilers. Despite adopting an anti-religious stance, the film does not come across as anti-religious at any point. A tricky situation to navigate, but director Lelio's brilliance makes it possible. What ultimately ensues is an intense story in which people's beliefs are challenged at great cost. The movie only talks about the Great Famine in dialogue, but again, director Lelio makes you a winner. 'The Wonder' has some amazing performances and without a doubt, this film can be considered Florence Pugh's best performance. Toby Jones Dr. McBrearty once again shines in his role. He is doing well and wants to get more screen time. Kila Lord Cassidy plays Anna and gives a very measured performance in a role where she has to be sure of everything around her.

 

'The Wonder' may not be a great story but it definitely succeeds in enthralling you with its theme and amazing performances. The strength of 'The Wonder' is that even after the end of the film, it is unable to shake the developments of the film.

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