The Wonder is a deeply emotional film that delves into the struggles of the Victorian era’s fasting girls. The story follows English nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) as she is hired by a council of local elders to oversee 11-year-old Anna O’Donnell (Kíla Lord Cassidy), a peasant girl who claims to have gone without food for four months. Anna’s claims that Jesus is sustaining her on “manna from heaven” have drawn the attention of journalists and curiosity seekers, but the council wants to make sure Anna isn’t a fraud before promoting her as a local wonder. To do so, they task Lib with watching Anna day and night, trading shifts with a nun, and ensuring that no food passes Anna’s lips.

As the days pass, Lib begins to notice something that everyone else missed, leading to a small change in Anna’s routine with disastrous consequences. The Wonder is a thought-provoking and poignant film about the power of storytelling and the need to be heard and understood in order to survive and thrive. With brilliant performances from its cast and a slow, careful pace, it’s a film that will leave a lasting impression on all who watch it.