A spare, Irish tale much akin to 1990’s “The Field” is “The Wonder.” It features the Emerald Isle’s patchwork of multigreen-hued fields, barren windswept heights, and soggy footpaths stretching as far as the eye can see, where the billowing blue skirts of bonneted women who walk those paths are turned brown with mud.
(L–R) Miracle child Anna O'Donnell (Kila Lord Cassidy), journalist Will Byrne (Tom Burke), and nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh). The nurse and the reporter have different plans for the child than the village elders, in "The Wonder." (Element Pictures/Netflix)
Set in 1862, the script is based on the novel by Emma Donoghue. It’s not the Middle Ages Ireland that Irish Stephen of “Braveheart” claimed belonged entirely to him “(“It’s my Island!”), but it might as well be: There’s no electricity, acres of mud, sheep, and Christianity reigns supreme.
What’s at stake in a small village here is faith being questioned in the name of science. It’s also another bare-knuckled punch to the face of traditional patriarchal societies and the apparently downtrodden, oppressed, and acquiescent women trapped in them.
The Good Nurse
English nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) travels to Ireland, having accepted a mysterious job offer for which she is to be handsomely paid, the details of which she’ll be informed of upon arrival.
(L–R) Village elders Dr. McBrearty (Toby Jones), Sir Otway (Dermot Crowley), and Father Thaddeus (Ciarán Hinds), in "The Wonder." (Element Pictures/Netflix)
She’s been hired by a black-clad group of village elders, who include medical doctor McBrearty (Toby Jones) and man-of-the-cloth Father Thaddeus (Ciarán Hinds). She’ll be living with the O’Donnell family for two weeks.
Anna O'Donnell (Kila Lord Cassidy), a child who hasn't eaten in four months, in "The Wonder." (Element Pictures/Netflix)
Her job is to observe the O’Donnells’ 11-year-old daughter, Anna (Kila Lord Cassidy). It would appear to all and sundry that the child hasn’t eaten a bite of food in four months, yet remains strong of limb and rosy of visage.
Local clergymen and doctors, while stymied, are very much in love with the romantic idea of her subsisting solely on “manna from heaven” (which is the girl’s personal claim). A nun is also assigned to keep vigil over Anna when nurse Lib is unavailable.
Nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) and Sister Michael (Josie Walker) share observational shifts, in "The Wonder." (Element Pictures/Netflix)
The elders hold nurse Lib’s outsider status to be essential. And while their desire to appear impartial has them importing someone with no vested interest in their situation, they themselves are somewhat unresolved as to how they hope the outcome will be interpreted. Would the potential tourist attraction-like aspect of the incipient local saintliness benefit their town in terms of commerce? Or might it bring unwanted attention that could undermine their power structure?
Nurse’s Back Story
Nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) visits a local gravesite, in "The Wonder." (Element Pictures/Netflix)
Nurse Lib is recently returned from the Crimean War, and while she certainly seems professional and untouched by any snowballing PTSD effects from having witnessed the horrors of war, she’s got prodigious trauma in the form of a mother’s loss. A single pair of tiny crocheted booties, a bottle of morphine, and the ritual pricking of her finger for a bead of ruby-red blood to suck reveal an 1800s version of substance abuse to bury grief.
Now, nurse Lib is a steadfast believer in medical science; she’ll not be having any of this manna twaddle. Much less will she entertain Dr. McBrearty’s hopeful and hazarded guess (much like ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle’s “scientific” declaration that the action of sunlight upon mud produces frogs) that Anna is somehow converting sunlight into nourishment and thereby photosynthesizing herself into sainthood.
Nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh, L) examines miracle child Anna O'Donnell (Kila Lord Cassidy), in "The Wonder." (Element Pictures/Netflix)
And so there is much very serious eyeball examining, neck gland manipulating, heartbeat listening via brass ear trumpet, “Say Aaaahh …,” blood pressure taking, and such. She also accompanies the girl on long walks in the green fields, on footpaths, where Anna desires to kneel down and pray 30 times a day. Which accounts for her muddy skirt.
The Reporter
As word spreads far and wide about the so-called miracle girl, it naturally, eventually, draws the attention of the press. Journalist Will Byrne (Tom Burke) shows up, covering the story for a London newspaper, listening to gossip in local bars, and poking around with a high degree of cynicism, hoping to discredit the fervorous rumors.
(L–R) Journalist Will Byrne (Tom Burke), nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh), and saintly child Anna O'Donnell (Kila Lord Cassidy) go for a walk, in "The Wonder." (Element Pictures/Netflix)
Will and Lib also find themselves involved in a bit of fervorous physicality, arising more due to availability than passion. Both being ultimately dedicated to getting to the truth of the matter, they become uneasy allies in the investigation.
The Evil at the Bottom of It All
As Lib begins to unravel the mystery, she realizes how desperate the situation is for Anna, and ultimately for herself. A dramatic revelation lays bare the drastic family sin that diabolically bequeathed the child with a form of Stockholm syndrome, as well as fostering virulent codependency. Her religious zealotry stems from all of the above, and we soon see the health of this long-fasting child deteriorate.
“The Wonder” calls into question religious dogma, zealotry, and the fear-based herd mentality that would prefer to avoid painful truths. And in that capacity, “The Wonder” shares much in common with “The Good Nurse,” about a serial-killing nurse and the hospital bureaucracies that covered up his murders.
Both movies examine a world in which some would rather watch people die than admit that they’d made mistakes. Both examine the petty-minded bureaucracies and indoctrinated committees that hide in their ignorance, horde power, and manipulate public opinion to maintain a status quo.
(L–R) Sister Michael (Josie Walker), Dr. McBrearty (Toby Jones), Anna O'Donnell (Kila Lord Cassidy), Maggie Ryan (Ruth Bradley), and nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh), in "The Wonder." (Element Pictures/Netflix)
Much of “The Wonder” is largely driven by the high-quality acting chemistry both between Cassidy and Pugh, and between Pugh and Burke. Chilean director Sebastián Lelio also enlivens the dark visual atmospherics of a sans-electricity society throughout by embracing the rugged beauty of the unforgiving Irish landscape.
The dramatic scenes make up, slightly, for the peripatetic pacing permeating “The Wonder” (so much perambulating of muddy paths!) as days and nights meld together with only minor moments of conversational dialogue. That said, “The Wonder” is, among other things, a movie that puts Florence Pugh back in period dress, where she often seems most comfortable.
A Real Version
Can one actually subsist on “manna from heaven,” what the Chinese call “Bigu,” otherwise known as breatharianism? Breatharianism (or inedia—Latin for “fasting”) is the claimed ability for a person to live without consuming food, and in some cases water. Indian breatharian Giri Bala gave the following information about herself:
“‘I have never had any children; many years ago I became a widow. I sleep very little, as sleep and waking are the same to me. I meditate at night, attending to my domestic duties in the daytime. I slightly feel the change in climate from season to season. I have never been sick or experienced any disease. I feel only slight pain when accidentally injured. I have no bodily excretions. I can control my heart and breathing. I often see my guru as well as other great souls, in vision.’
“‘Mother’ I asked (‘Mother’ is a term of respect for holy women in many south Indian languages) ‘Why don’t you teach others the method of living without food?’
“‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘I was strictly commanded by my guru not to divulge the secret. It is not his wish to tamper with God’s drama of creation. The farmers would not thank me if I taught many people to live without eating! The luscious fruits would lie uselessly on the ground. It appears that misery, starvation, and disease are whips of our karma which ultimately drive us to seek the true meaning of life.’”
Maybe that'll be Sebastián Lelio’s next movie.
Movie poster for "The Wonder."
“The Wonder” is available on Netflix as of Nov. 16.
‘The Wonder’
Director: Sebastián Lelio
Starring: Florence Pugh, Tom Burke, Kíla Lord Cassidy, Niamh Algar, Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 48 minutes
Release Date: Nov. 16, 2022
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Mark Jackson is the chief film critic for The Epoch Times. In addition to the world’s number-one storytelling vehicle—film, he enjoys martial arts, weightlifting, Harley-Davidsons, vision questing, rock-climbing, qigong, oil painting, and human rights activism. Mark earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Williams College, followed by a classical theater training, and has 20 years’ experience as a New York professional actor, working in theater, commercials, and television daytime dramas. He recently narrated the Epoch Times audiobook “How the Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World,” which is available on iTunes and Audible. Mr. Jackson is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
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