Making a big splash at both Telluride and Toronto, Sebastián Lelio’s The Wonder could be a major contender for Netflix this awards season, even if it’s flying under the radar compared to the other films they’re pushing. Not only are the reviews strong, but it features one of the hottest stars of the moment: Florence Pugh.
Based on a real Victorian-era phenomenon known as the “fasting girls”, The Wonder stars Pugh as a nurse in a devout Irish religious community, sent there to investigate an 11-year-old girl who claims to have not eaten in months but kept alive by some miracle. It’s a psychological thriller that pairs Pugh with newcomer Kíla Lord Cassidy in what could be a breakout role.
Also in the cast are Tom Burke, Niamh Algar, Elaine Cassidy, Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds, Dermot Crowley, Brían F. O’Byrne, and David Wilmot.
While he may not be a household name, Lelio is an accomplished filmmaker who broke out with 2013’s Gloria. He also directed that film’s American remake, Gloria Bell, and won an Oscar for Best International Feature for A Fantastic Woman.
The Wonder hits Netflix on November 16th, but will play in select theaters on November 2nd. It will also be at the Middleburg Film Festival next week, so look for our review soon.
1862,13 years after the Great Famine. An English Nightingale Nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) is called to the Irish Midlands by a devout community to conduct a 15-day examination over one of their own. Anna O’Donnell (Kíla Lord Cassidy) is an 11-year-old girl who claims not to have eaten for four months, surviving miraculously on “manna from heaven.” As Anna’s health rapidly deteriorates, Lib is determined to unearth the truth, challenging the faith of a community that would prefer to stay believing.
