Directed by Stephen Chbosky, “Wonder” stars Jacob Tremblay as a 10-year-old kid named Auggie Pullman.
Pullman lives in Brooklyn, New York with his Mom, Dad and sister Oliva, played by Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Izabela Vidovic respectively.
Pullman had been homeschooled his entire life, but at the request of his mother he will be attending public middle school. Because he suffers from a genetic abnormality, Pullman must undergo many surgeries that cause his face to look different from everybody else’s. This makes school understandably difficult for our young protagonist.
As the audience accompanies Pullman to school, we not only see through his eyes but other various perspectives. Pullman learns how to deal with the people at his school, and how people learn to handle treating someone who looks a bit different than them.
The movie was structured much differently than similar movies with a plot line focusing on a mentally or physically disabled character.
In the beginning the story is narrated by Pullman, but as the movie picks up we also see are not only seeing through his eyes but watching him through the eyes of multiple other characters.
Such characters include: his parents and his sister, his sister’s friend, the principal, a teacher and close friends. These perspectives help convey the movies message, that message being the Golden Rule.
Through multiple story lines we see how small comments and jokes have a rippling effect on both Pullman and those around him. These storylines also evoke empathy in the audience.
The movie also hits hard on the topic of bullying. It does not approach it in the typical way of “this kid’s a bully and that’s that.” Instead, we get a lot of context as to why our characters behave the way they do, which gives it more depth.
Chbosky tells a story of understanding, passing on a message to the younger generation that not everyone is in the same situation as them all the time, but they are still human and deserve respect.
The trailer suggests a depressing story about a kid’s hard life, however we learn this is not the case. “Wonder” is a very earnest movie that borders on cliché. Yet, the movie was not at all manipulative.
Instead of putting in scenes to make audiences cry intentionally the director kept the story raw and real. This realistic approach to the depiction of bullying left very few dry eyes in the theater.
The movie was not without flaws. One critique I had about the film is that some scenes, including the ending, felt rushed. This was due to the difficult task of wrapping up the multiple storylines in a satisfying way. Another critique I have is the fact that some aspects of the plot felt unrealistic due to some coincidences happening, but this was necessary to help propel the message of the film.
All in all, “Wonder” was a heartwarming and beautiful story that is great for movie goers of all ages. It will leave you thinking about what you could do to be more open and understanding like Auggie Pullman.
Haley Edwards
Reporter