In the intense, somber and profoundly dull drama, The Wonder, Florence Pugh plays an English nurse in 1862 Ireland with an unusual assignment. A local 11-year-old girl has survived for months while purportedly refusing all food. Village leaders commission the nurse as part of a team to watch the girl 24 hours per day and ascertain whether this is a miracle or a hoax.
The nurse takes this task seriously, and proceeds with integrity, diligence and compassion, and Florence Pugh takes it seriously, too, widening her eyes and furrowing her brow. There are many solitary shots of the nurse plodding across the landscape or eating her own meals. However, there are holes in the story which keep the audience from suspending disbelief about the extreme behavior of some of the characters.
The result is that watching The Wonder is drudgery. It’s a misfire by Chilean director Sebastián Lelio, who performed so well with A Fantastic Woman and Gloria.
This isn’t the fault of Pugh, although I’m not ready to anoint her as the next Kate Winslet. I still don’t see what the big deal is about Pugh.
The Wonder does reflect the genius of cinematographer Wegner, who has recently shot The Power of the Dog and Zola. The Wonder is a beautiful film to watch. One shot of the nurse in her sapphire dress, the girl in a gold dress and the girl’s mom in a green dress, all in a candlelit room, reminded me of a Vermeer. Stunning work by Wegner.
The Wonder is now streaming on Netflix.
