TIFF: Florence Pugh in ‘The Wonder’

By Abe Friedtanzer

 

It’s much easier to expose a lie in today’s technology-driven world than it was in past centuries, when something that seemed supernatural or inexplicable might have been taken at face value rather than properly investigated. The Wonder, based on the novel by Room screenwriter Emma Donoghue, centers on an eleven-year-old girl in Ireland who hasn’t eaten in four months yet somehow remains alive and well, and the town committee that brings in an observer with the apparent purpose of verifying some sort of divine intervention rather than unveiling a deception…

There are many notable names involved in this project, which comes to Netflix in December. Sebastián Lelio, who previously made Gloria, Disobedience, and the Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman, has directing duties. Cinematographer Ari Wegner, responsible for last year’s visually striking The Power of the Dog, returns with another stark period piece that makes excellent use of the sparse nature of its sets and the intensity of its characters. And in the lead role is Florence Pugh, whose other new film Don’t Worry Darling has earned her considerable press recently. 

There is an air of mystery that permeates this film, one that makes it seem like at any moment it could turn into a horror movie where young Anna (Kila Lord Cassidy) is shown to be demonically possessed. But, throughout it all, Pugh’s Lib, an English nurse, is certain that there must be something logical to explain how Anna is able to not eat and still survive. The council’s determination to believe that it is the work of a higher power and their unwillingness to listen to Lib’s science-based approach is vaguely reminiscent of present-day election deniers who cite the lack of evidence that the election wasn’t rigged as definitive proof that it was.

This film’s moodiness and intrigue are its strongest assets. It’s wonderful to see Pugh in any role, but this part is considerably drier than her charismatic turns in Little Women, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. After seeing him in The Souvenir, it’s hard to accept that Tom Burke’s prying journalist, who has returned to his hometown to cover this sensational story, may actually not harbor malicious motivations. The ensemble also includes brief appearances from a handful of recognizable Irish talent, including Niamh Algar, Brían F. O’Byrne, David Wilmot, and Ciarán Hinds, all of whom could have used more screen time. A strange framing device casts the film’s events in a slightly different light, but its content remains sufficiently captivating. B

The Wonder is screening in the Special Presentations category at TIFF and will debut on Netflix on December 7th.