Netflix streaming 'captivating' period drama based on real events that viewers can't get enough of

Daily Record

29-05-2025

Netflix fans are raving about a psychological period drama starring Florence Pugh which explores the phenomenon of 'fasting girls'.
Netflix is now streaming Sebastián Lelio's 2022 historical thriller The Wonder which has been hailed as "entirely fresh and equally brilliant" by critics. The period drama is inspired by the same-titled 2016 novel written by Emma Donoghue, who also contributed to its screenplay alongside Lelio and Alice Birch.
Set against the backdrop of post-famine Ireland in 1862, The Wonder tells the tale of English nurse Lib Wright, played by Florence Pugh, and a girl called Anna O'Donnell (Nan), portrayed by Kíla Lord Cassidy. Lib arrives in a deeply religious and rural community and is given the job of observing an enigmatic 'fasting girl', who astonishingly claims to sustain herself without food through divine intervention.
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While The Wonder is not entirely based on a true story, the film's premise mirrors historical reality. During Ireland's Great Famine, there was a harrowing increase in cases of 'fasting girls'. Starring Academy Award-nominated Florence Pugh as the leading role, The Wonder boasts a stellar cast that also includes young talent Kíla Lord Cassidy, Tom Burke, Elaine Cassidy, Niamh Algar, Brían F. O'Byrne, Dermot Crowley, and David Wilmot.
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The movie was filmed across the Emerald Isle in late summer 2021 and graced a selection of cinemas for a brief stint in November 2022 before it was introduced on Netflix, the Express reports.
The Wonder earned recognition at the 2023 BAFTA Film Awards with an Outstanding British Film nomination.
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Chatting with Screen Daily about her decision to join forces with Chilean maestro Sebastián Lelio for 'The Wonder', Pugh said: "It's been said many times by women who have worked with Sebastian that he has this fantastic ability to tell women's stories.
"It takes a pretty special person to (a), not be from the country that the film is about, and (b), not have proof of doing an era like this before and tell a very challenging female story."
She continued: "I wanted to play Lib in a very raw and natural way and he was 100% behind me. Then, of course, you get him on set and you see the crew is in love with him and everybody is so happy to be working on that job.
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"I suppose it all trickles down from the top and he gave such an amazing example of how to lead a film."
The Wonder received positive reviews from critics with one stating: "Not every story can or should be a movie, despite Hollywood's 's insistence otherwise. Some should remain books.
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"Some should remain silent. And some, such as this, provide a fresh reminder of the power of visual storytelling."
Another impressed viewer described the film as: "Equally haunting, heartbreaking and heartening, it's a narrative about narratives' ability to transform, destroy, resurrect, imprison, and liberate."
Someone else applauded the film's progression, commenting: "As the picture develops from a spooky Brontë romance into a pointed indictment of society, it takes aim at some familiar targets, but the dramatic impact is powerful."
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Meanwhile, a fourth added: "A film about the danger of believing without questioning that turns us into full-throated believers in whatever Lelio and Pugh can do."
Pugh's outstanding performance has also been praised by critics with one writing: "It might have all been too weighty and metaphorical were it not for Pugh... She is the whole package. A wonder indeed."
Others echoed this sentiment, with one saying: "It is a well-told story, far from the empty stories that we are always told every day, you can appreciate the layers of the characters and Pugh's great artistic ability to make us experience these types of emotions."
Another glowing audience review read: "Wonderful, poetic, captivating. A rare movie that makes you think. Excellent acting keeps you in tension throughout the movie, great soundtrack."
Someone else admitted they found it "initially a bit slow, but ultimately engrossing and rewarding".