A visual showcase with more than enough heart to spare.
Throughout his career, Todd Haynes has managed to capture the wonders of human connection in a way that few other filmmakers of his generation have. Films like Carol or Far From Heaven are the first to come to mind, where the lead characters form strong bonds with each other, but are threatened to be torn apart by the times they’re living in. It seems fitting then, that Haynes would decide to try and tell an inverted version of that story, where his characters are not torn apart by time, but rather brought together by it.
This brings us to Wonderstruck, Haynes’ highly-anticipated follow-up to the stunning 2015 romance, Carol. As with that film, Haynes’ has chosen to take on the screen adaptation of another already beloved book, this time in Brian Selznick’s Wonderstruck, based on a screenplay written by Selznick himself. And in case the pressures of living up to the source material weren’t already enough, Wonderstruck also happens to be split up into two wildly different (and unconventional in contemporary cinematic terms) formats.
The first takes place in Minnesota and New York in the 1970s, where Ben (Oakes Fegley) struggles to come to terms with his mother’s (Michelle Williams) unexpected death. And while sifting through her things one night, he stumbles upon an address and note that sends him to New York in search of his long-lost father. His journey in New York is complicated by a freak accident involving Ben prior to his trip, which leaves him deaf in both ears.
The second format is, more or less, a long flashback homage to the silent film era. Told with no dialogue and in complete black and white, the flashbacks take place in 1920s New York, where the deaf Rose (Millicent Simmonds) goes to try and find her place in the world. And as we see more from Ben and Rose’s individual journeys, the more strange connections between them begin to appear.
To say anything else about Wonderstruck’s story would be a spoiler, as Selznick’s script manages to draw out the mysterious connection between Rose and Ben in increasingly surprising and compelling ways. In fact, the biggest problem with Wonderstruck is how underwhelming some may find the film’s resolution to be, thanks to just how enthralling everything else is leading up to it.
But the fact that Wonderstruck doesn’t manage to live up to its full potential in the end doesn’t take anything away from how genuinely emotional and charming of an adventure it is.
Against all odds, Haynes manages to -- using Selznick’s script as a foundation -- weave Rose and Ben’s storylines together for almost the entirety of its two-hour runtime with an awe-inspiring level of precision. And part of that is thanks to the gorgeous cinematography done by Edward Lachman, who brings the film’s color and B&W sequences to life with stunningly vibrant imagery.
But if there is one MVP in the Wonderstruck creative team, it’s composer Carter Burwell. Already an accomplished film veteran, Burwell has created a score for the ages here, one that moves through all of the film’s multiple sequences and time periods with graceful fluidity. The film’s silent sequences are reliant on the crucial work of Burwell, and fortunately for everyone involved, he’s met those challenges with his best score to date.
Burwell’s astonishing work is especially present during one of the film’s many highlights, as Haynes’ cross-cuts between Ben and Rose’s first trips to the same New York City museum, which are separated by an almost 70-year gap. As the two characters journey through the various exhibits, their connection becomes more and more tangible, and the stronger their unseen connection grows. By the time everything is said and done, it’s difficult to think of a more fitting place for Ben and Rose to find common ground.
It’s true, after all, that the people who have the biggest impacts on our lives often find a way of sticking around long after we’ve parted. Like a diorama made up just for them, in the museums of our lives.
The Verdict
Wonderstruck may not reach the same emotional heights as some of Todd Haynes’ previous work, yet the film is still a magical achievement. It’s not only a film made for adults to devour, but one that reaches out to a younger audience -- intent on treating them with the respect and intelligence that they deserve. If only there were more films like this being made nowadays.
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