Is The Wonder Based on a True Story?
The Wonder movie was adapted from Emma Donoghue’s book with the same title. Despite this, the story behind the book is fictional. But there are some aspects of the story that were based on a phenomenon known as “the fasting girl,” which dates back to the 1500s. The fasting girls from that period abstained from eating food for long periods of time for a number of reasons, usually religious.
What Is The Wonder Movie About?
Sebastián Lelio’s novel follows Anna, an 11-year-old girl, who manages to survive for months without food. The author has taken inspiration behind “the fasting girl” from the 1500s and combines this concept with religious skepticism and medical abnormalities. The Wonder movie takes place in the 19th century.
Who Were The Fasting Girls?
In the Victorian era, there were many young women and girls that claimed they could survive without eating or drinking anything for several days. Several of these women became treated as celebrities as they fascinated people with the discovery. The reason behind their fasts were pointed to a religious practice linked with psychic powers. But as DailyMail reveals, these women were discovered to be frauds. One of these girls even died during the scientifict test being conducted while verifying their claims. Some of the practitioners experienced hospitalizations, force-feeding, and even death by starvation. There were also some who were proven to a hoax. Psychologists and historians believe this occurrence led to the emergence of the condition known as anorexia, which wasn’t considered a diagnosis until the 1870s.
Who Stars in The Wonder?
The film adaptation of The Wonder stars the following:
Florence Pugh (as Lib Wright)Kila Lord Cassidy (as Anna O’Donnell)Niamh Algar (as Kitty)Ciarán Hinds (as Father Thaddeus)Abigail Coburn (as Ryan Girl #2)Ruth Bradley (as Maggie Ryan)David Wilmot (as Seán Ryan)
Is There a The Wonder Trailer?
Yes, you can watch the official trailer of The Wonder here, which was released by Netflix last month:
The Wonder is now available to stream on Netflix.
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