The Wonder follows the journey of Lib Wright, an English nurse, who undertakes the responsibility of medically observing Anna O’Donnel, who has miraculously survived without food for four months.
Based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Donoghue, The Wonder stars Florence Pugh, Tom Burke, Elaine Cassidy, Kíla Lord Cassidy, Niamh Algar, and Toby Jones. The drama is directed by Sebastián Lelio and written by Emma Donoghue, Sebastian Lelio, and Alice Birch.
The Wonder Story Summary
In 1862, a watch committee in an Irish village calls Lib Wright (Florence Pugh), an English nurse, to be a part of the committee to observe how Anna O’Donnell (Kíla Lord Cassidy), an 11- year-old girl, has survived without food for more than four months. The committee informs Lib that she has been summoned as part of the watch committee to just medically observe and not to intervene in the fasting of Anna in any way.
Some members of the committee and most people in the village are strongly convinced of a miraculous power behind the girl’s strength, even while fasting. Lib and another member of the committee, a medically trained Nun, both take turns watching Anna over the next two weeks.
Lib visits Anna’s house and suggests that she be shifted to a hospital to observe her better, but the parents deny the request. Therefore, Lib inspects Anna in her room and she concludes that Anna seems to be doing well. She also warns Anna about the dangers of prolonged fasting to which Anna replies she has been living on “Manna from heaven” which keeps her content.
Upon questioning Anna’s mother, Lib finds out that water and wheat was the last thing Anna ate four months ago. Skeptical Lib refuses to simply believe in the miracle aspect of it all and resolves to solve the mystery behind it.
When the committee also visits the child, it shocks them as the child doesn’t look like someone who hasn’t eaten for four months. So they ponder over where she might be drawing her strength to sustain herself. They strongly believe that the hand of God helps the child stay strong.
Lib continues to keep a close watch on Anna every day by keeping track of her health and inspecting her room for food. Convinced that someone might be slipping in food to Anna, Lib decides to cut off Anna’s contact with her parents, and any other visitors to make it easy for her to prove the truth to others. As soon as her contact with her parents cuts off, Anna starts to grow weak, proving Lib’s point that Anna’s parents were possibly helping her.
Lib also deals with the ghost of her past of having worked as a nurse to the soldiers who were part of the war and nursing them till they passed away. She has to simultaneously deal with her grief of losing a baby girl, who died just weeks after birth, and her husband abandoning her, days after their daughter’s birth.
The Wonder Ending Explained
How Did Anna Survive The Fasting?
When Lib’s attempts to convince Anna’s parents to talk Anna out of fasting also prove futile, she decides to find solutions to save the child’s life. While everyone around Anna doesn’t believe her and places bets on the “Miracle Child” story, Lib finds a breakthrough.
While on her visits to Anna’s house, Lib noticed her mother cupping her face and kissing her. It occurs to Lib that Anna’s mother was passing food to her through her mouth which Anna used to call “Manna from Heaven.”
William Byrne (Tom Burke), a journalist who comes to cover the story of the miraculous child, also a skeptic, senses that there’s something going on behind the scenes and both he and Lib find out that Anna was given food by her mother. William Byrne and Lib develop a strong bond while trying to save Anna’s life.
When Lib tells the committee about the truth, they don’t believe Anna and brush off her statement as a lie as they are all clouded with the story of miracles told by Anna and her family. The nun, who accompanied Lib to Anna’s house for the inquiry, also takes the side of Anna and her family, proving in front of the committee that Lib wasn’t being honest.
While on one of Lib’s visits to Anna’s house, Anna shares with her that her brother passed away and that she has gone through the grief of losing a loved one. Eventually, Lib’s daily visits to observe Anna turn from skepticism to compassion. She grows concerned for the little girl and wants to get to the root of why Anna was starving herself.
Lib tries to persuade Anna to eat and takes a drastic step to feed her forcefully by shoving a food pipe through her throat but fails when Anna breaks down crying. Anna finally reveals her belief that if she fasts, she can bring back her dead brother.
Lib learns that Anna had been abused by her brother before he fell sick and passed away. And because of this, Anna’s mother partly blames Anna for his demise. Anna believes that her brother is in hell and in order to save him from burning in hell, she has to fast so that he doesn’t suffer anymore.
Did Lib Save Anna’s Life?
Anna’s health deteriorates which causes Lib to take desperate measures in order to save her life. She requests William to help her rescue Anna, but he refuses to help her stating that it would be kidnapping.
After William’s refusal to help her, Lib convinces Anna, who’s on the verge of death, that she doesn’t have to be Anna anymore and that she can be anyone she wants to be. Lib weaves a persuading story that Anna will die today and the one who wakes up will be Nan, who hasn’t undergone any abuse or trauma and the little girl believes Lib’s story.
Lib single-handedly manages to take Anna out of her house and asks her to close her eyes symbolizing Anna’s death. As a gesture, Lib puts bread and water in Anna’s mouth after she opens her eyes, symbolizing her metaphorical new birth as Nan.
Lib burns Anna’s house down and comes up with a convincing story to tell the watch committee. Lib tells the committee that she was at Anna’s house when Anna’s health deteriorated, leading to her death. While Lib tried to resuscitate Anna, she accidentally knocked over the bedside lamp which caused the fire. Lib escaped somehow, but Anna’s body perished in the fire.
In the end, Lib beats the small town in the game of convincing storytelling, and the watch committee, though doubtful at first, believes in Lib’s story. Lib, William, and Anna, reborn as Nan, escape the village with new names to start a new life. Nan’s belief in miracles helped Lib save her life, and Lib’s convincing story not only saves Anna’s life but also gives Lib an opportunity to heal from the grief that she had to bear due to the loss of her daughter.
The Wonder is now streaming on Netflix.
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