«Wonder», an entertaining learning experience

Cinema Wednesdays - Hélène Lavoyer

«What is the person I want to become?“ That's the question we should be asking ourselves at every moment.”

Auguste «Auggie» Pullman (Jacob Trembley) is a little boy like any other. Just like everyone else, yes, but with «something» extra. Afflicted with Treacher Collins syndrome, which has left him with a deformed face, Auggie is the sun, and the rest of the world is the earth. Around the star revolve his parents (Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson) and his sister (Izabela Vidovic), around whom no one revolves except for that new guy he met in high school (Nadji Peter).

The fateful moment of the first day of school has arrived, and everyone is holding their breath for little Auguste. Under the disgusted and bewildered gazes of children his own age, Auguste dreams himself a life as a cosmonaut, in order to face up to his fear and shame. As the days go by, some of the great lessons of a slightly fairer life impose their force and weight on Auggie and his classmates alike. While they learn that Auguste is just another boy, and friendships are made and torn, his sister discovers that she is different, unique and growing up. All those gathered around Auguste undergo a change, essentially caused by this different boy.

Wonder, «Wonder» in French, was directed by Stephen Chbosky based on the novel of the same title, published in 2012. Like the novel, the film gives the narrator's voice to different characters, dividing it into parts and offering different viewpoints of a common story. This choice turns everything on its head; from an unbearable individual drama, we move on to a real lesson in how we look at others. Our personalities, partly created by the way we look at others and what they force or influence us to do, are also complex, but understandable, as they are somewhat unstructured by sometimes opposing views.

While it's no Oscar winner - the dialogue remains stereotypical, the life embellished - it's by no means a turnip. Next to the usual Christmas nonsense, Wonder makes you laugh, cry and question. The innocent humor that sprinkles the projection with chuckles or real bursts of joy, and the contemporary vocabulary, allow lightness to occupy most of the screenplay.

Write to the author : lavoyer.helene@gmail.com

Photo credit: © timeslive.co.za