Attending a Preview Screening of Wonder & Q &A with Julia Roberts & Owen Wilson!
Last week was CRAZY. In a single week, I was lucky enough to be in the same room/meet a bunch of A-Listers (casual) from Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson to Hugh Grant and Christian Slater. The life of a blogger/ former filmmaker is never boring, that’s for sure!
This post is however dedicated to the wonderful film Wonder by Lionsgate which my friend Charlotte and I were lucky to see at a special preview followed by a Q &A with the cast and crew.
I KNOW!
Redbus who sold to Lionsgate were actually my former employer (I started developing a feature film there and also script read and helped in all areas aged 22) was so it was an extra special evening for me, as I love seeing Lionsgate shine. It was also touching to meet fellow bloggers and creatives and their families on the night.
First off, YOU MUST SEE THIS FILM.
Yes, I’m shouting.
It’s vital that you do so.
Every school in the lands needs to add this stirring adaptation of bestselling book Wonder to their ‘required viewing list’ without delay.
Each and every viewer of Wonder will become inspired to spread kindness, love and forgiveness in abundance. It’s not often you leave a movie so utterly transformed that you ACTUALLY become a better person for it, but this film possesses that power.
A departure from the classical narrative of a single point of view, as with the book, its plot flits between each lead from the ensemble cast, keeping the young protagonist Auggie (Jacob Tremblay), who is born with a facial disfigurement, at it’s heart. Beautifully and economically written, with not a single word wasted, Wonder is a masterpiece that will sweep the boards at every awards going, if there’s any justice in this (cinematic) world.
I’ve attended many screenings and film festivals in my time, both as a filmmaker and blogger, but at no point have I felt as privileged to witness such frank and touching performances as those in Wonder. Attending a screening with the most iconic actors of our generation in discussion was truly memorable, as was hearing from the author Raquel J. Palacio and the director, Beauty and the Beast screenwriter Stephen Chbosky on their own journeys from script to screen. To hear it took years to reach the screen (as many films do) but that those years of development only served to enhance the finished film and making it greater (and that Julia was attached from the start after she shared the book with her own children) offered a rich context of the passion present for this movie, and reinforced my own love of filmmaking and desire to merge my current career with my former one in the future.
…The actors also shared that the atmosphere on set was incredibly warm and welcoming thanks the director, and was exactly as it was on screen. The chemistry and connection between the cast members was obvious as was their passion for the material: both the book and screenplay. I won’t give any spoilers but I’ll issue my advice: take tissues. I cried throughout. In fact, I can’t remember another film which has made me cry more.
Wonder is life-affirming and uplifting, and will touch your heart.
The film was showcased in cinemas across the country for free to celebrate World Kindness Day.
It opens on Dec 1st in the UK and is a filmic gift to behold.
Please, embrace it with open arms!
#ChooseKind. Choose this film at the cinema.
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