It's a dark and strikingly beautiful story about the search for truth.
In 2015, Room, a heart-wrenching drama about a mother and son held captive in a tiny space, was released – it earned Brie Larson an Oscar and became one of the most famous adaptations of an Emma Donoghue novel.
However, a couple of years later, in 2017, another one of her novels was adapted into a movie, The Wonder, starring Florence Pugh, which went largely overlooked.
What Is 'The Wonder' About?
The year is 1862. Lib Wright, an English nurse, arrives in rural Ireland. According to rumor, an 11-year-old girl named Anna has gone months without eating yet remains in perfect health.
A woman of science, Lib is skeptical and finds herself at odds with the devout locals who believe the girl has a divine gift. Determined to uncover how the child survives without food and expose the truth behind the case, she begins her investigation.
Eventually, the mystery surrounding Anna is revealed, drawing the viewer into an even more harrowing and deeply moving secret.
'The Wonder' Is Worth Watching if Only for Florence Pugh's Powerful Performance
The Wonder rests on the shoulders of Florence Pugh. She plays an intelligent, compassionate, yet cynical woman who trusts facts over miracles.
Director Sebastián Lelio crafts a visually stunning film. Cinematographer Ari Wegner, who also shot The Power of the Dog, moves the camera gently across the cold Irish landscape, capturing Pugh's solitary figure against a backdrop of vast fields.
Without its visual storytelling and powerful score, this story, steeped in things left unsaid, would not have fully unfolded. Composer Matthew Herbert uses sound to evoke shivers and a sense of dread, heightening the atmosphere of mystery and tension.
'The Wonder' Is Partly Based on Real Historical Events, Which Makes the Story Even More Incredible
The movie's plot is similar to that of the book, but Lelio opens the film by breaking the fourth wall and using a voiceover to remind the audience that the characters genuinely believe in their own stories.
Perhaps therein lies the director’s message: when a person clings unconditionally to their own truth, it matters little that science and medicine are on your side.
Emma Donoghue did not invent the concept of the fasting girl – the Victorian era witnessed a real phenomenon of teenage girls who claimed they could go without food for extended periods.
These cases inspired other stories of small-scale tragedies. The Wonder is a movie about faith, science, and the difficulty of finding the truth when everyone clings to their own convictions.
What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'The Wonder'?
The Wonder has 84% from critics and 72% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.
