Wonderstruck | Todd Haynes | NYFF 2017
Wonderstruck is the latest from Todd Haynes, working off of Brian Selznick’s script, which was adapted from his 2011 novel of the same name. Wonderstruck connects two stories set 50 years apart from one another, with the first a black and white silent film showing a young deaf girl named Rose (Millicent Simmonds) who runs away from her father’s (James Urbaniak) New Jersey home and takes a journey into New York City in order to find the actress Lillian Mayhew (Julianne Moore). This intersects with a story told in modern-day (and in color) about a recently orphaned boy named Ben (Oakes Fegley) who suddenly becomes deaf after a freak accident and manages to run away from Minnesota and arrives in New York in search of finding out more about his father, who he never met.
The intersect between these two stories is clear and Selznick’s script is conveyed in a warm, loving manner by Todd Haynes and captured beautifully by cinematographer Edward Lachman. Both children are attracted to the big city in hopes of finding the adult figure that they so clearly lack in their lives and its in this big city that they hope to discover a new sense of self.
Haynes wistfully portrays the fear that Rose encounters as a deaf girl navigating the big city, portraying it all as an old school silent film fitting for not only the era it portrays but also to immerse us into the everyday experience of Rose. Meanwhile the 70s sequences are given a dirty grimy flare by Lachman that feel deadly accurate and are countered well with warmth that Ben finds with a newfound friendship with an equally curious young boy named Jamie (Jaden Michael).
Haynes direction is confident and clear and there’s definitely a spark in the eye of Selznick’s imaginative story. The performances from its young cast of Simmonds, Fregley and Michael are invigorating and signal that these are young talents to keep an eye on. While Julianne Moore offers a typically solid performance, she was overshadowed by her young cast who steal the show.
There’s a ton of heart to be found her and a sense of wonder felt in both the themes of the story and the loving performance by all the actors. Yet, something felt missing in the way that the two stories are used that didn’t quite translate on the screen, not to mention a languid pace and patient approach that didn’t do it any favors. It is obvious to see how the two stories would intersect and although it was heart-warming and totally wholesome, the maneuver and journey to get there didn’t feel as rewarding or impactful as I really did want it to be.
Rating: 7.0/10
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