WONDERLAND
"Wonderland" is wonderful! The movie is made up of a random sampling of events in the life of a family over the course of a weekend. The events are connected thematically through each one’s sense of loss, guilt, or hope for a better future. Their interests merge in the carnival atmosphere of Bonfire Night in late November when a young son disappears from his father’s flat and a new member of the family is ready to come into the world. At first, the relationships of the characters are somewhat vague. They are revealed in layers through a method of exposition that challenges the audience without underestimating its intelligence. Commonplace events from a breakfast between two sisters to their mother’s sleepless night are turned into elements of comedy and heartbreak. The push and pull of everyday life test the bonds that keep them together despite their human frailties.
A homely sister, a waitress, sleepwalks through the club scene and the personals settling for the short term affair while yearning for a lasting relationship. Another leads a liberated existence with her own business, a hair salon, while her young son keeps her grounded. His rake of a father favors the pub life over his paternal duties. A third sister is expecting while her significant other succumbs to his own psychological inadequacies. The youngest sibling, a brother, takes to the road with his girlfriend to escape his bickering parents and their loveless marriage. Their mother is a curmudgeon with an unredeemable cruel streak. She remains disconnected from her husband while their young adult children continually search for connections. They represent the heart of working class London while the latest offspring represents the continual renewal of its soul.
"Wonderland" has an immediacy that grabs your attention thanks to director Michael Winterbottom’s quasi-documentary approach. His camera’s eye and acute ear seems to eavesdrop on the lives of the movie’s inhabitants like a casual bystander, catching a look or a glance and snatches of conversation that convey the emotional weight of each scene before moving on. The choice of some familiar faces like Ian Hart (John Lennon in "Backbeat") or Shirley Henderson (Gail in "Trainspotting") instead of big name stars also adds to "Wonderland"’s entrancing familial intimacy. There are also some quaint but effective interludes enhanced by Michael Nyman’s mesmerizing score with long shots of London’s skyline and dwellings whose lit windows signify a city teeming with life. They reminded me of the closing shot and the catch phrase that closed each episode of The Naked City (New York) a hit TV show from days gone by. To paraphrase - ‘There are a million stories in the Naked City. This has been one of them.’ The filmmakers, writer Laurence Couriant and Michael Winterbottom seem to be saying the same thing about "Wonderland" and their beloved London and saying it well. I loved "Wonderland."
Some other views of the British working class family from the past to the present
"This Happy Breed" ( 1944) - Director David helped bring this play by Noel Coward to the screen depicting the British family as the bulwark of civilization between the two World Wars. With Robert Newton, Celia Johnson and John Mills among other notable English actors.
"The Family Way" (1966) - This is considered Hayley Mills’ first ‘adult’ role movie after growing up on screen between "Pollyanna" in 1960 and "The Trouble with Angels" in 1966. Here she plays a young married living with an impotent husband trying to survive in the chaotic home of his parents. Tame by today’s standards, this was considered quite controversial in 1966.
"Secrets and Lies" (1996) - A slice of life film from director Mike Leigh about the trials and tribulations of a family trying to connect, much like the people in "Wonderland." Their stories are put into motion by a Black woman’s inquiry in to the whereabouts of her birth mother who turns out to be white.
Two from "Wonderland" director Michael Winterbottom
"Welcome to Sarajevo" (1997) - One of the best movies about journalists covering the ravages of a modern Civil War. Shot on location, it’s often hard to tell the staged scenes from the spontaneous intrusions of reality. The story centers around a children’s relief group and one man’s efforts to help a young girl find her mother.
"Jude" (1996) - Based on Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy. Christopher Eccleston is brilliantly cast as a self educated stone mason whose granite features match the sharp edged building blocks of the University he longs to attend. Kate Winslet is the kissin’ cousin he loves in an illicit affair that triggers disaster for both.