An underwhelming Netflix offering only somewhat elevated by Florence Pugh.
As a relatively new face, Florence Pugh‘s sensational performance in William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth was unexpected. To deliver a commanding performance of that deeply troubling, complex, and oft-alluded to character is difficult for screen and theatre vets, and yet Pugh did it with aplomb. She echoes that tour de force, albeit with a lighter approach, in Sebastian Lélio’s The Wonder.
Here, she plays a steadfast nurse who believes in science and doesn’t exactly take deception well. She speaks her mind and has several tricks up her sleeve. Still, she has to contend with a situation entirely outside her previous experience. That brings a softer vulnerability that didn’t exist in Lady Macbeth. Alas, outside of Pugh, The Wonder underwhelms.
The film, based on Emma Donoghue’s novel of the same name, takes place in a remote Irish village in the 1860s during the time of Victorian “fasting girls”. A nurse named Lib (Pugh) is ordered to observe Anna (Kila Kord Cassidy), an 11-year-old girl who has supposedly survived without eating for four months. Believing this is a miracle of Christ, many townspeople visit Anna, interrupting Lib’s observation of her. The film functions both as a mystery and a religious allegory. Lib’s job is essentially an investigation, and Lelio and Pugh both drive up the stakes with Lib’s stubborn demeanor. Like a true science student, she is skeptical of everyone around Anna.
Lib’s belief in science is “tested” by Anna’s show of faith. Cassidy gives Anna a meek but possessed demeanor with her wide eyes and strained, raspy soft voice. Nonetheless, she shows empathy for the girl, appreciating her impressionable age puts her in a very difficult and unfair position. Unfortunately, Lib’s investigative nature is at odds with Anna’s childish innocence. She struggles to treat Anna as a suspect when she knows that she, as a child, is more of a victim.
In one of the film’s more appealing finer details, Lib’s eating grows increasingly laborious and unsatisfying. Pugh is great in these sequences, her eyes offering a contemplative and slightly shameful look with each bite she takes. She then darts her eyes around to Anna’s family members, and her face turns to bitterness. Throughout the movie, Lib constantly looks for places where food could be hidden and consumed when she’s not looking.
Unfortunately, outside of Pugh, The Wonder underwhelms.
Visually and structurally, Lélio takes a very pedestrian approach. The movie almost grinds to a total halt in scenes where Pugh isn’t the focus (luckily, there aren’t a lot of those), and many sequences seem jutted in for the sake of taking up time. There’s a lot of conversation regarding the importance or value of sex scenes. The film presents the sex so impotently, though, it renders such arguments inapplicable. Courtship fairs nearly as poorly with a clumsily portrayed half-romance. Tom Burke having virtually zero on-screen chemistry with Pugh hardly helps matters. It may work better in the novel. On-screen, they seem thrown together out of desperation to introduce a romantic angle to an otherwise bleak story. The emotional thrust of this film is also non-existent except for a charged denouement in which Pugh commands the screen.
Pugh is having a career year. While neither The Wonder nor Don’t Worry Darling quite match her best performances, they highlight her ability to elevate the work. She embodies the role of a female protagonist, often while turning it on its head. That’s no small feat in an era where that role is hotly morally contested. In The Wonder, she plays her most straightforwardly moralistic character. Like the rest of the film, it’s too unchallenging and flat a role for someone this talented. But she manages to add depth to it, making Lélio’s latest watchable, if not exactly memorable.
The Wonder is now streaming on Netflix.
The Wonder Trailer:
Read next: The Spool's Best New Releases
Streaming guides
The Best Live TV Streaming Services With Free Trial
The praises of live TV streaming services don’t need to be further sung. By now, we all know that compared to clunky, commitment-heavy cable, live TV is cheaper and much easier to manage. But just in case you’re still on the fence about jumping over to the other side, or if you’re just unhappy with ... The Best Live TV Streaming Services With Free Trial
How to Watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3
Season 3 of the hotly anticipated Power spin-off, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, is arriving on Starz soon, so you know what that means: it’s the ’90s again in The Southside, and we’re back with the Thomas family as they navigate the ins and outs of the criminal underworld they’re helping build. Mekai Curtis is ... How to Watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3
How to Watch Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re so back! To celebrate Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary, the BBC is producing a three-episode special starring none other than the Tenth/Fourteenth Doctor himself, David Tennant. And to the supreme delight of fans (that would be me, dear reader), the Doctor will be joined by old-time companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and ... How to Watch Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials
Which Netflix Country has Interstellar?
Maybe you’ve just seen Oppenheimer and have the strongest urge to marathon—or more fun yet, rank!—all of Christopher Nolan’s films. Or maybe you’re one of the few who haven’t seen Interstellar yet. If you are, then you should change that immediately; the dystopian epic is one of Nolan’s best, and with that incredible twist in ... Which Netflix Country has Interstellar?
Which Netflix Country Has Each Movie of The Hunger Games?
For whatever reason, The Hunger Games series isn’t available in the same countries around the world. You’ll find the first and second (aka the best) installments in Hong Kong, for instance, but not the third and fourth. It’s a frustrating dilemma, especially if you don’t even have a single entry in your region, which is ... Which Netflix Country Has Each Movie of The Hunger Games?
How to Watch ESPN With A Free Trial
One of the major concerns people have before cutting the cord is potentially losing access to live sports. But the great thing about live TV streaming services is that you never lose that access. Minus the contracts and complications of cable, these streaming services connect you to a host of live channels, including ESPN. So ... How to Watch ESPN With A Free Trial
How to Watch Paramount Network With a Free Trial
To date, Paramount Network has only two original shows on air right now: Yellowstone and Bar Rescue. The network seems to have its hands full with on-demand streaming service Paramount+, which is constantly stacked with a fresh supply of new shows. But Yellowstone and Bar Rescue are so sturdy and expansive that the network doesn’t ... How to Watch Paramount Network With a Free Trial
How to Watch WE TV With a Free Trial
Previously “Women’s Entertainment,” We TV has since rebranded to accurately reflect its name and be a more inclusive lifestyle channel. It’s home to addictive reality gems like Bold and Bougie, Bridezillas, Marriage Boot Camp, and The Untold Stories of Hip Hop. And when it’s not airing original titles, it has on syndicated shows like 9-1-1, ... How to Watch WE TV With a Free Trial
How to Watch TNT Sports With A Free Trial
For many sports fans, TNT is a non-negotiable. It broadcasts NBA, MLB, NHL, college basketball, and All Elite Wrestling matches. And, as a bonus, it also has reruns of shows like Supernatural, Charmed, and NCIS, as well as films like The Avengers, Dune, and Justice League. But while TNT used to be a cable staple, ... How to Watch TNT Sports With A Free Trial
How to Watch Comedy Central With a Free Trial
It’s no coincidence that many of today’s biggest comedians found their footing on Comedy Central: the channel is a bastion of emerging comic talents. It served as a playground for people like Nathan Fielder (Fielder For You), Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson (Broad City), Tim Robinson (Detroiters), and Dave Chappelle (Chappelle’s Show) before they shot ... How to Watch Comedy Central With a Free Trial
How to Watch FX With a Free Trial
You’d be hard-pressed to find a bad show airing on FX. The channel has made a name for itself as a bastion of high-brow TV, along with HBO and AMC. It’s produced shows like Atlanta, Fargo, The Americans, Archer, and more recently, Shogun. But because it’s owned by Disney, it still airs several blockbusters in ... How to Watch FX With a Free Trial