Latest news with #TheWonder
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Netflix streaming 'captivating' period drama based on real events that viewers can't get enough of
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. 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. 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. 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. "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. "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." 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".
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
The Netflix period drama based on a true story that fans are raving about
The Wonder is a historical drama that tells the story of a 'fasting girl' who claims to live without food and water - and the English nurse who is sent to investigate Sebastian Lelio's 2022 historical thriller The Wonder has been lauded as "entirely fresh and equally brilliant" by critics. The film, available on Netflix, is based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Emma Donoghue, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Lelio and Alice Birch. Set in post-famine Ireland in 1862, The Wonder tells the story of English nurse Lib Wright, played by Florence Pugh, and a girl named Anna O'Donnell (Nan), brilliantly portrayed by Kila Lord Cassidy. Lib is sent to a devout rural community to observe a mysterious 'fasting girl', who claims to survive without food through divine intervention. While the film is based on a work of fiction, its premise reflects historical reality. During the Great Famine in Ireland, there was a disturbing increase in cases of 'fasting girls'. These women claimed to live on heavenly 'manna' and said they could go months without food, according to Surrey Live, reports the Express. The Wonder stars Academy Award-nominated Florence Pugh and features an impressive cast including rising star Kila Lord Cassidy, Tom Burke, Elaine Cassidy, Niamh Algar, Brian F. O'Byrne, Dermot Crowley, and David Wilmot. Shooting amidst the stunning Irish landscapes in late summer 2021, 'The Wonder' wowed cinema-goers in a limited November 2022 release before garnering widespread acclaim on Netflix. The film's prowess was acknowledged with a nod for Outstanding British Film at the 2023 BAFTA Film Awards. During an intimate chat with Screen Daily about her choice to collaborate with Chilean director Sebastian Lelio for 'The Wonder', Florence Pugh gushed: "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." Diving deeper into her decision, Pugh remarked, "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. I suppose it all trickles down from the top and he gave such an amazing example of how to lead a film." Critics lauded the film effusively, with one reviewer commenting: "Not every story can or should be a movie, despite Hollywood's insistence otherwise. Some should remain books. Some should remain silent. And some, such as this, provide a fresh reminder of the power of visual storytelling." The film garnered glowing reviews, with one critic saying: "Equally haunting, heartbreaking and heartening, it's a narrative about narratives' ability to transform, destroy, resurrect, imprison, and liberate." Another critic praised the film's development, noting: "As the picture develops from a spooky Bronte romance into a pointed indictment of society, it takes aim at some familiar targets, but the dramatic impact is powerful." In appreciation of the movie's theme, a reviewer remarked: "A film about the danger of believing without questioning that turns us into full-throated believers in whatever Lelio and Pugh can do." Florence's performance was hailed by critics, as one stated: "It might have all been too weighty and metaphorical were it not for Pugh... She is the whole package. A wonder indeed." This sentiment was shared among viewers, with one audience member commenting: "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." An audience review professed: "Wonderful, poetic, captivating. A rare movie that makes you think. Excellent acting keeps you in tension throughout the movie, great soundtrack." One person described the film as "a thrilling exorcism of beliefs", while another shared their viewing experience: "initially a bit slow, but ultimately engrossing and rewarding".
Daily Record
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Netflix hidden gem period drama hailed as 'rare film' starring huge A-list actress
The Wonder, which is streaming on Netflix now, saw Florence Pugh take on the lead role of a nurse who is sent to investigate a young girl in a rural Irish village The 2022 period psychological drama directed by Sebastián Lelio, entitled The Wonder, has captivated audiences and prompted a film critic to hail it as "entirely fresh and equally brilliant". This intriguing movie is available for viewing on Netflix and takes inspiration from Emma Donoghue's 2016 novel of the same name. Donoghue herself contributed to the film's screenplay in collaboration with both Lelio and Alice Birch. Set against the backdrop of post-Great Famine Ireland in 1862, The Wonder delves into the enigmatic tale surrounding English nurse Lib Wright, brought to life by Florence Pugh's hauntingly authentic performance, alongside the character Anna O'Donnell ('Nan'), played by newcomer Kíla Lord Cassidy. Wright finds herself dispatched to a devout and insular Irish community to scrutinise a young girl who mysteriously persists in living despite claiming to have fasted for months, sustained only by divine intervention. While the narrative is fictional, it's rooted in the grim reality of a peculiar wave of cases during the 19th century in famine-ravaged Ireland, involving 'fasting girls' – a term for those who reputedly survived on heavenly nourishment called 'manna', abstaining from food for extensive periods. Florence Pugh, an Academy Award nominee, heads up the impressive cast of The Wonder which includes the young talent Kíla Lord Cassidy, and features Tom Burke, Elaine Cassidy, Niamh Algar, Brían F. O'Byrne, Dermot Crowley, and David Wilmot, reports Surrey Live. Filmed across Ireland during August and September 2021, 'The Wonder' initially graced the cinemas in a limited release in November 2022 and was subsequently brought to a wider audience on Netflix in the latter part of that month. The film earned itself a nomination for the Outstanding British Film award at the BAFTA Film Awards in 2023. In conversation with Screen Daily about her decision to collaborate with Chilean filmmaker 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 further explained her approach to her character Lib, saying: "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. I suppose it all trickles down from the top and he gave such an amazing example of how to lead a film." The film universally garnered praise from critics, with one writing: "Not every story can or should be a movie, despite Hollywood's insistence otherwise. Some should remain books. Some should remain silent. And some, such as this, provide a fresh reminder of the power of visual storytelling." One critic described the film as: "Equally haunting, heartbreaking and heartening, it's a narrative about narratives' ability to transform, destroy, resurrect, imprison, and liberate." Another critic said: "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." An additional reviewer added: "A film about the danger of believing without questioning that turns us into full-throated believers in whatever Lelio and Pugh can do." Praise was heaped on Pugh for her role, with one commendation reading: "It might have all been too weighty and metaphorical were it not for Pugh... She is the whole package. A wonder indeed." Viewers were equally taken by Pugh's performance; one commented: "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." Further acclaim came from an audience member who remarked: "Wonderful, poetic, captivating. A rare movie that makes you think. Excellent acting keeps you in tension throughout the movie, great soundtrack." While one viewer titled the film "a thrilling exorcism of beliefs", another shared that the film was "initially a bit slow, but ultimately engrossing and rewarding".
Irish Examiner
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
'Getting set on fire at work is pretty cool': Meet Ireland's female stunt performers
Niamh Hogan would rather set herself on fire than work a 'nine to five' and has done so, quite literally, on many an occasion. The 38-year-old Dublin woman is known to go up in flames for her art. She is part of an elite group of female stunt performers making a living from her passion in Ireland. Her work includes doubling up for Hollywood stars like Florence Pugh, who she performed alongside in the 2022 film The Wonder. The movie, adapted for the screen from a novel of the same name by Irish author Emma Donoghue, follows the story of a nurse who is tasked with observing a young "fasting" girl who seems to able to survive without eating. 'Florence Pugh is an absolutely beautiful human being,' she tells the Irish Examiner. 'For that film, my arm was on fire along with the side of the character's dress, which was very cool. Unfortunately, what happened with the final take was not as impressive. The footage where the flames were nice and high weren't used. Stunt performer Niamh Hogan with movie star Florence Pugh during filming for the 2022 film 'The Wonder' "The most impressive stunts don't necessarily lend themselves best to the story. It's just the way it goes but I was delighted to have the opportunity.' One of Niamh's most daring stunts featured in season two of Vikings: Valhalla. 'I was one of the people who was on fire in the boats at the end of the season. Being set on fire for camera is always very cool. There are many safeguards and systems in place. We were wearing Nomex, which is like an under layer of clothing similar to what racing drivers wear. This is usually coated in a freezing cold flame proof gel. "It's also put all over any bare skin that's exposed, so basically your hands face and neck. They put accelerant on your hands, neck and face and in your hair as well. On top of all that, we had someone on hand to make sure we didn't drown after jumping into the water. 'I have two older brothers who think what I do is really cool,' she said. 'I can tell my dad about what stunts I have coming up but I can't tell my mum because she worries too much. If I'm being set on fire I'll usually wait until after the job is done to tell her. "Mums will worry about their children for as long as they can so telling her I have put myself in any form of danger until after the event is the best way forward for everyone involved.' Niamh, who earned her black belt in karate at the age of 13, has been working in the industry for almost a decade. 'I discovered stunt work while doing a stage combat course. The instructor asked me if I would be interested in pursuing it. It was like a lightbulb moment.' Clare native Charlotte Carway has become a fixture on the circuit since exploding — quite literally — onto our screens six years ago. 'I finished school during the pandemic, which scuppered all my ideas with regard to what I wanted to do,' the 24-year-old says. 'I went for a media studies degree. However, I came out of it as it really wasn't for me. I ended up at an open casting and landed a really small role on the film The Last Duel as a maid with Matt Damon and Jodie Comer.' Stunt performer Charlotte Carway getting rigged up in preparation for filming. The Clare native is one of a handful of female stunt performers in Ireland. She recalled her exchanges with movie star Matt Damon at the time and said: 'We had to do covid tests on set, which always left me with nose bleeds. He was always very kind to me, often asking if he could get me a 'Kleenex'. I was 18 at the time. I've always looked younger than my years so people always feel this need to look after me on set.' It was this this baby face coupled with her 5ft 4in stature that resulted in Charlotte's calling. 'I was working as an extra on season one of Vikings-Valhalla when the director needed a child to run through a battle scene. The idea of having the kid was to accentuate the danger. Because kids have shorter hours on set, there was nobody left to do the scene. "Someone pointed at me and said 'that's a child'. One of the stunt guys walked me through and was saying things like 'this is the sword, don't get hit in the face by it' and 'this guy's going to die so you have to jump over him'. All of a sudden, I was in the midst of the battle. Even when I was small, I was more Indiana Jones than Disney princess so it was the perfect place for me to be. "The stunt performers all thought I was much younger than I was and were saying things like 'don't worry sweetheart'. Soon as we were finished, I was asking how they did the stunts. I started to train and it all snowballed from there.' From left, stunt performers Becky Griffin, Niamh Hogan and Charlotte Carway take a break from filming. The trio are among the most sought after stunt performers in Ireland and have worked with Hollywood stars from Hugh Jackman to Florence Pugh. One of Charlottes favourite 'party tricks' involves being hit by a car. 'You learn a lot through your training. It's not like you go straight from the page to you standing there, getting hit by a car. There are a lot of rehearsals. It's all done around timing and making it look like the car is hitting you when it's actually you getting on to the car and rolling off. Of course, you are wearing stunt pads to protect you, which are usually gymnastics pads, baseball pads or motorbike pads. If you're not a little bit nervous then there's something wrong. It's that fear that keeps you alive. It's funny because you have to fight your brain on the logic of it' Charlotte also worked on the new series of Wednesday, which is set to air on Netflix soon. 'The highlight for me was working with the renowned stuntman Vic Armstrong. He is one of the most wonderful people I've ever worked with.' Every day on set is an adventure for Charlotte. 'Recently, for a short film, I got to be a mother of the bride going through a wedding cake. That was fun. I never know what I'm going to be doing next.' Meanwhile, Becky Griffin from Dublin, is also making waves in the industry. It was her skills as a gymnast that set down a solid foundation for a career in stunts. Most recently she worked on set for the film The Death of Robin Hood with Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer. 'When I was a child I used to watch James Bond. I wanted to be doing what he was doing but I felt too shy to ever consider acting. It was only when I got older that I realised it wasn't the actor doing the stunts and this was a whole career in itself. "It was amazing to think that I could shine in stunts. I had friends in the industry who told me about the steps to go through to make it happen. It has been a great experience and I've met some really lovely people on set. Hugh Jackman was such a gentleman. He was really interested in what I do. He's the kind of person who will genuinely ask how you are. He could see how passionate I am about what I do and wished me well.' She stressed the job is not always as glamourous as it might seem. 'The aim of the day is to have everybody leave as they arrive. Despite everything a person involved in stunts go through, we will usually go home without a scratch.' Read More Terry Prone: Perils of the potential misuse of the media take centre stage on Broadway
The Guardian
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue review
When an express train smashes through the barriers at Montparnasse, screeches across the concourse and emerges through an exterior wall, panicked onlookers assume it's a terrorist attack. Plus ça change; this happened in October 1895 and is the inspiration for Emma Donoghue's new novel, which takes place on that train as it hurtles from Granville to Paris. Donoghue specialises in contained settings. She is best known for the 2010 novel Room, narrated by a child who has been raised in a single room by his kidnapped mother. The Wonder is set mostly in a cramped 19th-century rural Irish cottage, then in 2020 came The Pull of the Stars, located, with eerie prescience, in the pandemic isolation ward of a Dublin maternity hospital in 1918. Most recently, there was 2022's Haven, where Donoghue isolates three seventh-century monks on a speck of rock in the Irish Sea. A 19th-century express train is a neat way to contain a bigger slice of life, a social history with passengers pre-divided into first, second and third class (third at the front, naturally, to absorb coal dust and the impact of possible collisions). Each carriage is 'as intimate as a dinner party, but one with no host and guests assembled at random'. And as the maids and anarchists, artists and playwrights, medics, engineers and politicians mingle, we glimpse issues of race, sexuality and poverty through concerns ranging from the petty (bad smells, needing the loo) to the cataclysmic (impending childbirth, possible mass murder). The passenger we spend most time with is an angry young class warrior, Mado, 'upright as a toy soldier in a straight skirt, a collar and tie, brilliantined hair cut to just below the ears'. Early on, we discover that the lunch bucket she clutches might contain something more sinister than sandwiches. Blonska, an elderly Russian in gauzy hand-me-downs, is the only one to clock this. We also meet 22-year-old Marcelle, a half-Cuban medical student who can't resist diagnosing her fellow passenger, a sick 18-year-old girl who bruises easily and suffers night sweats. In another carriage we find Alice Guy, secretary at the photographic company Gaumont, trying to convince her dull boss that the Lumière brothers' technique of stringing images together has more than documentary potential; it could be 'something really captivating'. This train, then, contains real historical figures. Some (the politicians and the crew) were indeed there; others, as Donoghue writes in an afterword, are 'plausible guests'. These include Irish playwright John Synge, seen scribbling in a notebook, and one-armed civil engineer Fulgence Bienvenüe, who tells his fellow travellers, husband and wife Émile Levassor and Louise Sarazin-Levassor, about his plan for underground electrified trains in Paris. Levassor, a motorcar enthusiast, pooh-poohs this ludicrous notion; in 10 years, he says, everyone will have a motorcar. (The real Émile, Donoghue's note tells us, pioneered the motorcar industry, and Louise became 'Mother of the Motorcar' after he died from – yes – car crash injuries.) These knowing winks are fun, if a little pantomimic. There is a sense of people swapping historically pertinent information. Showgirl Annah, once an artist's model, tells Synge how one painter, Gauguin, treated her badly so she sold all his belongings, except the 'stupid pictures' no one would buy. In less skilled hands, all these characters might become a roster of types, or simply meld, but Donoghue is too deft and intelligent to let us lose our way, giving them props – hummingbird earrings, a bucket of oysters, a wooden arm – so that we may move in and out of carriages and still recognise people. Very occasionally, a more intriguing consciousness muscles in: the train itself. 'Since Granville, Engine 721 has been scenting danger somewhere along her flanks.' This is curious, unexpected, and has weird potential. I longed for more. But there is no time for that. The form offers frustratingly limited scope for character complexity or nuance. Instead, there is a lively Agatha Christie feel, with potted biographies and neat social commentary fuelled by the key question: can anyone survive this? As Engine 721 clatters towards Paris, we bounce between stories while Mado's lunch bucket provides what Blonska calls the 'agony of this suspense'. But Donoghue's central concern is more existential. It is almost Beckettian, really, this vision of life as individuals crammed into metal containers, enduring clanking discomforts and talking at each other as they move towards the inevitable end. The real question is human and timeless and, frankly, rather apposite. As Blonska puts it: 'How to carry on minute by minute, when you don't know how long you've got.' The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue is published by Picador (£18.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at Delivery charges may apply.
