The Wonder may not be the movie starring Florence Pugh that gets the most publicity this year, but it looks set to be the most critically acclaimed. Set in 19th Century Ireland, Pugh stars as Lib, an English nurse tasked with observing a young girl who – somehow, "miraculously" – hasn't eaten for months.
"This is a film that explores the power of fiction in our lives," director Sebastián Lelio tells Total Film for the new issue of the magazine, featuring Avatar: The Way of Water on the cover. "You know, everything is a story. The self is a story. Democracy is a story. Money is a story. A nation is a story. And in the era of the internet you have all these people that are willing to suspend disbelief in a second, in a blink. We have to finesse the stories that we create for each other. We cannot let stories degrade, because then we will disintegrate. That’s why the film wants to say, 'What are you believing in? Who are you believing in? Are you fixated on that position? Or do you have enough spiritual and intellectual elasticity to change, to adapt?'"
After a limited theatrical run, the film is now streaming on Netflix, and viewers are full of praise for the period drama. "Just finished The Wonder and Florence Pugh was phenomenal as usual," tweeted one viewer.
"A controlled, haunting and beautifully paced examination of trauma and the constrictions of rigid faith. Florence Pugh proves herself once again to be a hypnotic and potent screen presence," echoed another Twitter user.
"The Wonder is such a wonderful adaptation of Emma Donoghue's novel, with some stylistic choices that elevate everything out of the period drama staple. Florence Pugh is a triumph and young Kila Lord Cassidy more than holds her own as the wonder herself. What a film!!" tweeted someone else.
"It's a strange, patient story that plays tremendously to Florence Pugh's strengths as an actor. The cinematography by Ari Wegner is gorgeous, and I haven't been able to shake Matthew Herbert's score for weeks," added another viewer.
Critics are full of praise for the movie and its lead performance, too. "Pugh knows that stories need protagonists to follow, and she gives you a great one: spiky, sullen, sensitive, enraged, grieving, lustful, loving, nurturing, and not prone to taking prisoners or any shit," reads David Fear's Rolling Stone review, while The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey writes: "Pugh is very much at home in this kind of role, but it’s no less arresting in its familiarity,"
"A drama this ambitious demands a fearless performer like Pugh, who knows exactly the tightrope to walk when it comes to the story’s delicate balance between realism and melodrama," echoes Roger Ebert's Brian Tallerico.
The Wonder is available to watch on Netflix now. For more viewing inspiration, check out our picks of the other best Netflix movies on the streamer.
