Our guide to the new Netflix drama set in rural 19C Ireland, and to the soundtrack by composer Matthew Herbert
The first release from Netflix's new UK office, The Wonder is set to start shooting on location in Ireland. The film stars Florence Pugh and tells the story of the 'fasting girls' in 1862 Ireland, inspired by Emma Donoghue's novel of the same name.
Florence Pugh stars as English nurse Lib Wright, who is brought to a small village in the Irish midlands to observe 11-year-old Anna O'Donnell, who has stopped eating. Somehow, she has managed to stay alive, despite not eating for months on end.
It's one of four Netflix feature films to be commissioned out of its new London office this year.
The music for the film was composed by Matthew Herbert, a composer who has also produced music for programmes and films including The Responder, Disobedience, A Fantastic Woman and The Beast Must Die). Herbert has also produced remixes for a wide range of artists including Ennio Morricone, Quincy Jones, Björk, REM and John Cale.
Find out more about the soundtracks to other TV programmes and films here.
The soundtrack for The Wonder is available to stream via Spotify.
The soundtrack for The Wonder is not yet available to buy.
The Wonder is an adaptation of the 2016 novel by Emma Donoghue, who worked on the screenplay with Sebastián Lelio and Alice Birch. She is also an executive producer on the film.
Emma Donoghue is no stranger to having her books optioned and adapted for film. Her 2010 novel Room was nominated for four Academy Awards, with Brie Larson winning for Best Actress.
Lib Wright: Florence Pugh
Will Byrne: Tom Burke
Kitty O'Donnell: Niamh Algar
Rosaleen O'Donnell: Elaine Cassidy
Anna O'Donnell: Kíla Lord Cassidy
The supporting cast includes Toby Jones, Dermot Crowley, Brían F O'Byrne and Ciaran Hinds.
The film is helmed by Chilean director Sebastián Lelio, whose 2017 film A Fantastic Woman won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and who also directed Disobedience – featuring Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams as orthodox Jewish women who fall in love – and Gloria Bell, which stars Julianne Moore.
The Wonder will be released on Netflix in 2022.
While you're on Netflix, why not check out some of the music-themed films we recommend on Netflix?
Freya Parr is BBC Music Magazine's Digital Editor and Staff Writer. She has also written for titles including the Guardian, Circus Journal, Frankie and Suitcase Magazine, and runs The Noiseletter, a fortnightly arts and culture publication. Freya's main areas of interest and research lie in 20th-century and contemporary music.
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