Acclaimed filmmaker Sebastián Lelio, whose previous works include Disobedience and A Fantastic Woman, will return to Netflix in November with his newest offering. The Wonder, led by Florence Pugh, immerses viewers in the bond between a little child and the nurse responsible for her care. Netflix has released the official trailer in advance of the premiere.
The trailer uses subdued colours and a voiceover to explain a mysterious mission, leading viewers to suspect that something is awry. The audience and Nurse Lib Wright (played by Pugh) don’t find out what’s going on until about a minute in.
Later in the teaser, we get a better feel for how Nurse Wright interacts with her charge, 11-year-old Anna O’Donnell (Kla Lord Cassidy). Nurse Wright’s early optimism in her ability to heal Anna proves to be misplaced when the latter’s religious beliefs directly conflict with Wright’s scientific, evidence-based approach. As the trailer winds down, it becomes clear that Anna isn’t Nurse Wright’s only obstacle; it appears that those who gave her the position were sceptical from the start. Emma Donoghue’s novel The Wonder examines the Fasting Girls movement of the 1800s.
Anna supposedly stopped eating after her 11th birthday, four months before the events of the film. Nurse Wright is assigned with watching over the kid. Anna tells the nurse that she doesn’t need to eat since she gets all the food she needs from manna from heaven, and the nurse notices that Anna is in good physical condition despite not eating. Nurse Wright has to figure out what’s going on with Anna while she’s with her. The premiere of the film took place at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, where it garnered mostly positive reviews.
Reviewer Chase Hutchinson said that Pugh’s “dynamic performance” is a big reason why people stay interested throughout the film. He also attributes the unsettling tone of the picture to composer Matthew Herbet, “as it flits from resembling a ghostly whalesong to the anxious ticking of a thundering clock. It doesn’t hold back from letting all of this hit you at once, even if the onslaught of noise threatens to drown you.” Lelio and Alice Birch adapted The Wonder. Produced by Donoghue, Len Blavatnik, and Danny Cohen. The production team consisted of Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Ed Guiney, and Andrew Lowe.
This movie was produced by House Productions and Element Pictures. Tom Burke, Niamh Algar, Elaine Cassidy, Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds, Dermot Crowley, Bran F. O’Byrne, and David Wilmot also star. On November 2nd, The Wonder will debut in select cinemas, and on November 16th, it will be available on Netflix.