Minus the powerful performance from Florence Pugh and stellar cinematography by director Sebastián Lelio, "The Wonder" left us confounded. This was a slow burn that felt a little bit lacking on its characters, narrative, and conflict. Making it a bittersweet experience overall.
Set in the mid-1800s, a nurse named Lib (Florence Pugh) is hired to become the watcher of a young girl named Anna (Kíla Lord Cassidy) who claims to have not eaten food for months. Claiming it to be a miracle, Anna must make sure to check that no one is actually feeding Anna in secret. As Lib and Anna grow closer, the truth will be unveiled and will force Lib to confront the harsh reality Anna has to deal with.
Science vs. Religion. This is the central conflict that "The Wonder" tackles as a nurse sets out to prove that a "fasting girl" in a small village is faking it. The real story, as expected, is rooted in reality but the circumstances on the why and on the how was actually surprising. But here's the thing, as interesting as its premise and characters may be, "The Wonder" simply failed to build up on anything substantial. We wanted to know Lib more and Anna more, it seemed their back stories were ripe for the picking, but the film time and time again decided to do nothing but be extremely slow and aesthetic. This setback became even more apparently obvious against the backdrop of Florence Pugh's powerful performance as the divisive Lib. Don't get us wrong because "The Wonder" was a wonder to behold but we also like our films a little bit balanced. A film can be a slow burn and yet be rewarding also. "The Wonder" didn't feel like that for us and just delivered the bare minimum to be a psychological drama with a period accurate twist.
The Wonder Movie Review: Wonderful Florence Pugh
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