I seem to be doing a lot of crying lately. We’re at that point in the term again when everything starts piling up, the tension is mounting, and a good old cry can be just what is needed to unleash all of those bottled up emotions. Thankfully, Wonder is a film that provides catharsis from start to finish in a beautifully tear-jerking display of the power of kindness.
I was lucky enough to attend a preview screening of Wonder last week in honour of World Kindness Day. First published as a book in 2012 by R.J. Palacio, Wonder centres around August (Auggie) Pullman, a young boy who was born with a facial deformity that has resulted in twenty-seven corrective surgeries and years of being home-schooled by his mother. Strangers don’t quite know how to respond to Auggie, they divert their eyes or stumble over their words, but Auggie has built up a resilient personality in order to buffer himself against other people. The message of the story is simple: in any situation, choose to be kind. In a world plagued by the stains of social media through acts of cyber-bullying and hate crime, it’s a message that proves altogether resonant with the decisions we should all be making as we continue to share our lives online.
I was looking forward to the film already because:
- it is directed by Stephen Chbosky, writer and director of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I wish that every author could script and direct the adaptation of their own book, as I can rest easy knowing that it’s in the safest hands.
- Julia Roberts, one of my favourite actresses ever, stars as Auggie’s mother. I love her endlessly, that is all.
- When I read the book back in 2013, I was struck by how far a book with a target audience of children and young teens could connect so strongly with people of all ages – an impressive feat the film would have to live up to.
I can safely say the film lived up to those three expectations. Chbosky’s direction is stunning, Julia Roberts plays the role of the concerned mom beautifully, and (pardon the pun) the book is faithfully adapted into a wonderful film.
The film starts with Auggie’s parents deciding to send him to middle-school, a decision driven by his mother’s wish for him to have a normal life. We see Auggie attempt to make friends for the first time, to channel his impressive intellect into his school science lessons, and to navigate a world that judges you based on how you look. Some kids are kinder than others, and some are just downright mean. We can all remember how intimidating the first day of school was, but that fear is magnified tenfold knowing that Auggie is going to struggle more than most.
The film’s biggest strength is to show how Auggie’s life impacts those around him. The book itself does this by offering multiple narrative perspectives within the overall story, allowing us insight into the voices and lives of Auggie’s family and friends. The film manages to pull this off well by exploring what characters get up to when they’re not around Auggie, as well as giving us multiple versions of certain scenes. Undoubtedly, the most powerful storyline besides Auggie’s is that of his older sister, Via, who has felt neglected by their parents and has to deal with being ditched by her own best friend in high school. Auggie has grown up being the centre of his parent’s world, but that world must inevitably expand as their two children experience the trials of growing up.
Growing up is tough, and it’s even tougher when you’re being bullied for something that you can’t control. Auggie’s favourite holiday is Halloween, as it allows him to walk around in a costume unnoticed, but even that gets ruined by the class bully and a betrayal by his best friend. Repeatedly singled out for being different, freakish and nerdy, Auggie quickly learns that good friendships are hard to come by.
Auggie’s rollercoaster ride through his first year at school is capable of reducing an entire room to tears, as kindness is shown to prevail even in the darkest of times. Friends stick up for each other, bullies are capable of change, and family is there through thick and thin. The October class precept chosen by Auggie’s school teacher, Mr Browne, sums up the importance of acts of kindness perfectly: “your deeds are your monuments,” and kindness is the biggest monument of all.
Check out the trailer for the film here, and you can see it in UK cinemas from 1st December.