The Wonder

    This new period drama on Netflix features a powerhouse performance from its lead, Florence Pugh. It is 1862 and Ms. Pugh stars as Mrs. Wright, a British nurse who is employed by a committee in a rural Irish village to observe a fasting young girl, who has miraculously survived without food for months.

    The film is slow but absorbing as questions of skepticism versus complete faith come into question. It argues that there is a danger in total belief. Anna, the young girl at the center of the story believes she is being fed "manna from heaven" and that's what's keeping her alive. Nurse Wright is a woman of science who believes the girl will die if she doesn't eat soon. The story becomes more complicated once Anna reveals the reason for her fast

    Co-starring as member of the "committee are Ciaran Hinds, Toby Jones, Brian F. O'Bryne and Dermot Crowley. Kila Lord Cassidy plays Anna and she is a wonderful young actress.  The film also costars Tom Burke as a journalist sent to write about the "miracle girl". Much of the film is focused on Anna and Nurse Wright who, at first, find themselves at odds but eventually grow close and that's when Anna tells her why she is fasting.

    While she was hired to just observe the girl, Nurse Wright refuses to stand by and let her die. Science versus religion takes center stage with Anna's life at stake.  It's a polarizing film that will open itself up for debate long after it ends.