Wonderland (1999 film)
Encyclopedia
Wonderland is a 1999
drama film
about the lives of a London
couple, their three adult daughters and absent son. Directed by Michael Winterbottom
, the film stars Jack Shepherd, Kika Markham
, Shirley Henderson
, Gina McKee
, Molly Parker
, John Simm
, and Stuart Townsend
. The film was entered into the 1999 Cannes Film Festival
.
weekend in November. Waitress Nadia (McKee), "shy, with a backpack and her hair in girlish twists", spends all her time going on blind dates with rubbish men from personal ads, while her hairdresser sister Debbie (Henderson) struggles to raise her 11-year-old son without much help from his irresponsible father (Hart). Meanwhile, Molly (Parker) is pregnant but her husband Eddie (Simms) has left his job without telling her.
Eileen (Markham) and Bill (Shepherd), their parents, are virtually estranged since the departure of their eldest son Darren (Enzo Cilenti), who they have not heard from since he left home; having left he is the only happy one in the family. Eileen takes her silent frustrations out on the neighbour's barking dog, poisoning it when it prevents her from sleeping.
Franklin (David Fahm) is an over-sensitive man who frequents the coffee house where Nadia works. He is unable to summon the courage to talk to her, instead listening to music he thinks she would like alone in his bedroom. Nadia sleeps with one of her dates, but is then rejected by him. Molly and Eddie (Sims) have a fight when she discovers he has left his job and he leaves. She goes into labour believing he has permanently left her, but he has really had an accident on his motorbike. After Debbie's son is mugged when his father leaves him alone, she resolves to keep them apart. Darren finally calls to let his family know that he is fine and Franklin has enough courage to talk to Nadia. Molly and Eddie are reunited at hospital after the birth of their daughter Alice, a name Eddie selected because of Alice in Wonderland.
and said that the sisters could be interpreted as different life stages of a single woman. The social realism
of the film was compared to those of fellow British directors Ken Loach
and Mike Leigh
. Although the film has "an almost unbearable sadness" it is not bleak. The end of the film has a "dramatic coincidence" that brings the characters together for Molly giving birth, a sentimental narrative device that is a change from the relative lack of structure of the rest of the film, though Sense of Cinema also saw this final scene as "genuinely uplifting" and only giving tentative hope for the characters.
and "the connections between the stories were purely down to geography" but was rewritten so that "the story of one sister tells you something about the other two." Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt
had previously only worked on documentaries and news footage.
The film has both realist and impressionist elements. Time lapse photography is used to give moments of accelerated motion as the characters are followed, which Winterbottom said was inspired by Wong Kar-Wai's Chungking Express
and gave an impressionistic feeling, "a rush of poignant colours and noise", and other footage is filmed on grainy hand-held 16mm cameras, giving a realist "fly-on-the-wall" feeling. The sex scenes are realistic and awkward - the scene between Nadia and Tim features no music, which highlights the sounds of kissing and rustling. A small crew was used, with only natural lighting and no sound boom. A pub scene was shot with real people in the background, near closing time, and the café where Nadia works is a real small café in Soho. People alone in London crowds were picked out and filmed to make the audience speculate about their stories. Senses of Cinema said that the editing was "immaculate and exciting".
, but complained about the characterisation, for example that with Nadia "we are given no insight into her struggles or her grinning social ineptitude" leaving the film "alienating and infuriating." They praised the acting, particularly the "desperately affecting" parents, but were annoyed by the attempts at estuary English
by the cast of non-Londoners. Senses of Cinema has called it "arguably one of Winterbottom’s most accomplished works" and "a wonderful and very poignant film."
, who has said it is his favourite score. The New York Times compared the score to that of Stewart Copeland
for Rumblefish
and said that "the rhythms are like a clock ticking" and it is "alternately plaintive and mournful". The Guardian said is was "sumptuous, romantic". Senses of Cinema said the music was "heart-wrenching, full of tragic qualities, yet also extremely light".
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
about the lives of a London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
couple, their three adult daughters and absent son. Directed by Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom is a prolific English filmmaker who has directed seventeen feature films in the past fifteen years. He began his career working in British television before moving into features...
, the film stars Jack Shepherd, Kika Markham
Kika Markham
Kika Markham is an English actress.Markham was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire. She is a daughter of actor David Markham and writer Olive Dehn . She has led a long career in the cinema, television, and theatre as an actress...
, Shirley Henderson
Shirley Henderson
Shirley Henderson is a Scottish actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire .-Early life:...
, Gina McKee
Gina McKee
Georgina "Gina" McKee is an English actor known for her television roles in Our Friends in the North , The Lost Prince and The Forsyte Saga ; and her portrayal of Bella in the film Notting Hill ....
, Molly Parker
Molly Parker
Molly Parker is a Canadian actress, notable for her roles in Canadian and American independent films and the HBO television series Deadwood.Parker won a Genie Award in 1997 as Best Actress in a Leading Role for Kissed...
, John Simm
John Simm
John Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television...
, and Stuart Townsend
Stuart Townsend
Stuart Townsend is an Irish actor and director. His most notable portrayals are of the characters Lestat de Lioncourt in the 2002 film adaptation of Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned, and Dorian Gray in the 2003 film adaptation of Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.-Early life and...
. The film was entered into the 1999 Cannes Film Festival
1999 Cannes Film Festival
The 52nd Cannes Film Festival was held on May 12-23, 1999. The Palme d'Or went to the French-Belgian film Rosetta by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.-Jury:* David Cronenberg * André Téchiné * Barbara Hendricks...
.
Plot
The film follows the lives of three London sisters and their family over five days, a long Guy Fawkes NightGuy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in England. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding...
weekend in November. Waitress Nadia (McKee), "shy, with a backpack and her hair in girlish twists", spends all her time going on blind dates with rubbish men from personal ads, while her hairdresser sister Debbie (Henderson) struggles to raise her 11-year-old son without much help from his irresponsible father (Hart). Meanwhile, Molly (Parker) is pregnant but her husband Eddie (Simms) has left his job without telling her.
Eileen (Markham) and Bill (Shepherd), their parents, are virtually estranged since the departure of their eldest son Darren (Enzo Cilenti), who they have not heard from since he left home; having left he is the only happy one in the family. Eileen takes her silent frustrations out on the neighbour's barking dog, poisoning it when it prevents her from sleeping.
Franklin (David Fahm) is an over-sensitive man who frequents the coffee house where Nadia works. He is unable to summon the courage to talk to her, instead listening to music he thinks she would like alone in his bedroom. Nadia sleeps with one of her dates, but is then rejected by him. Molly and Eddie (Sims) have a fight when she discovers he has left his job and he leaves. She goes into labour believing he has permanently left her, but he has really had an accident on his motorbike. After Debbie's son is mugged when his father leaves him alone, she resolves to keep them apart. Darren finally calls to let his family know that he is fine and Franklin has enough courage to talk to Nadia. Molly and Eddie are reunited at hospital after the birth of their daughter Alice, a name Eddie selected because of Alice in Wonderland.
Themes and analysis
The New York Times said the film was "a modern-day London turn on Chekhov"'s Three SistersThree Sisters (play)
Three Sisters is a play by Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov, perhaps partially inspired by the situation of the three Brontë sisters, but most probably by the three Zimmermann sisters in Perm...
and said that the sisters could be interpreted as different life stages of a single woman. The social realism
Social realism
Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
of the film was compared to those of fellow British directors Ken Loach
Ken Loach
Kenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...
and Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh
Michael "Mike" Leigh, OBE is a British writer and director of film and theatre. He studied theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and studied further at the Camberwell School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design. He began as a theatre director and playwright in the mid 1960s...
. Although the film has "an almost unbearable sadness" it is not bleak. The end of the film has a "dramatic coincidence" that brings the characters together for Molly giving birth, a sentimental narrative device that is a change from the relative lack of structure of the rest of the film, though Sense of Cinema also saw this final scene as "genuinely uplifting" and only giving tentative hope for the characters.
Production
The film's French writer, Laurence Coriat, was previously a psychology student. Winterbottom said that the script began similar to Short CutsShort Cuts
Short Cuts is a 1993 American drama film directed by Robert Altman. Filmed from a screenplay by Robert Altman and Frank Barhydt, it is inspired by nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver...
and "the connections between the stories were purely down to geography" but was rewritten so that "the story of one sister tells you something about the other two." Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt
Sean Bobbitt
Sean Bobbitt BSC is a British cinematographer and is also in the camera and electrical department. He was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2004, won a BIFA in 2008, and got nominated for an Emmy in 2008-References:...
had previously only worked on documentaries and news footage.
The film has both realist and impressionist elements. Time lapse photography is used to give moments of accelerated motion as the characters are followed, which Winterbottom said was inspired by Wong Kar-Wai's Chungking Express
Chungking Express
Chungking Express is a 1994 Hong Kong film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. The film consists of two stories told in sequence, each about a lovesick Hong Kong policeman mulling over his relationship with a woman...
and gave an impressionistic feeling, "a rush of poignant colours and noise", and other footage is filmed on grainy hand-held 16mm cameras, giving a realist "fly-on-the-wall" feeling. The sex scenes are realistic and awkward - the scene between Nadia and Tim features no music, which highlights the sounds of kissing and rustling. A small crew was used, with only natural lighting and no sound boom. A pub scene was shot with real people in the background, near closing time, and the café where Nadia works is a real small café in Soho. People alone in London crowds were picked out and filmed to make the audience speculate about their stories. Senses of Cinema said that the editing was "immaculate and exciting".
Reception
The New York Times argued that a scene in which Nadia slowly descends into tears on a double-decker bus as others party around her was "one of the most riveting scenes in a movie this year" (a scene The Guardian also said "rings true"), but found that "there is no sad turn in these characters' lives that you cannot see coming about an hour before". The Guardian said that the filming of London's streets was similar to that of New York by Martin ScorseseMartin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
, but complained about the characterisation, for example that with Nadia "we are given no insight into her struggles or her grinning social ineptitude" leaving the film "alienating and infuriating." They praised the acting, particularly the "desperately affecting" parents, but were annoyed by the attempts at estuary English
Estuary English
Estuary English is a dialect of English widely spoken in South East England, especially along the River Thames and its estuary. Phonetician John C. Wells defines Estuary English as "Standard English spoken with the accent of the southeast of England"...
by the cast of non-Londoners. Senses of Cinema has called it "arguably one of Winterbottom’s most accomplished works" and "a wonderful and very poignant film."
Cast
- Shirley HendersonShirley HendersonShirley Henderson is a Scottish actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire .-Early life:...
- Debbie - Gina McKeeGina McKeeGeorgina "Gina" McKee is an English actor known for her television roles in Our Friends in the North , The Lost Prince and The Forsyte Saga ; and her portrayal of Bella in the film Notting Hill ....
- Nadia - Molly ParkerMolly ParkerMolly Parker is a Canadian actress, notable for her roles in Canadian and American independent films and the HBO television series Deadwood.Parker won a Genie Award in 1997 as Best Actress in a Leading Role for Kissed...
- Molly - Ian HartIan HartIan Hart is an English stage, television and film actor.-Early life:Hart, the grandson of Irish immigrants, was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. He is one of three siblings and was brought up in a Roman Catholic family...
- Dan - John SimmJohn SimmJohn Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television...
- Eddie - Stuart TownsendStuart TownsendStuart Townsend is an Irish actor and director. His most notable portrayals are of the characters Lestat de Lioncourt in the 2002 film adaptation of Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned, and Dorian Gray in the 2003 film adaptation of Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.-Early life and...
- Tim - Kika MarkhamKika MarkhamKika Markham is an English actress.Markham was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire. She is a daughter of actor David Markham and writer Olive Dehn . She has led a long career in the cinema, television, and theatre as an actress...
- Eileen - Jack Shepherd - Bill
- Enzo CilentiEnzo CilentiEnzo Cilenti is an English actor.He was born in Bradford to Italian parents. He is married to the actress Sienna Guillory, with whom he has appeared in several films.-Partial filmography:* Wonderland...
- Darren - Sarah-Jane PottsSarah-Jane PottsSarah-Jane Potts , is an English actress, best known for her roles as Saint in Sugar Rush, as Ellie, Abs' on/off girlfriend on Casualty and as Jo Lipsett in Waterloo Road. Potts is also the sister of actor Andrew-Lee Potts, best known for his part as Connor Temple in Primeval...
- Melanie - David Fahm - Franklyn
- Ellen ThomasEllen ThomasEllen Thomas is an American activist who has been the primary support person for the vigil in front of the White House against nuclear weapons for over a decade. She first became involved with the vigil on April 13, 1984. The daughter of a U.S. Marine, Thomas grew up in California and became...
- Donna - Peter Marfleet - Jack
- Nathan ConstanceNathan ConstanceNathan Constance is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Ian Walmsley in the TV series Footballers' Wives, Leon Richards in the TV series Dream Team and as Josh Mitchell in the TV series Bad Girls...
- Alex - Anton Saunders - Danny
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to Wonderland was composed by Michael NymanMichael Nyman
Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
, who has said it is his favourite score. The New York Times compared the score to that of Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks...
for Rumblefish
Rumblefish
Rumblefish were a UK indie pop group, formed in Birmingham in 1986. After several releases on independent labels they were signed by East West who issued the band's only album while still together in 1992.-History:...
and said that "the rhythms are like a clock ticking" and it is "alternately plaintive and mournful". The Guardian said is was "sumptuous, romantic". Senses of Cinema said the music was "heart-wrenching, full of tragic qualities, yet also extremely light".