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Wonderstruck PG rating

Julianne Moore stars in Todd Haynes' playful adaptation of Brian Selznick’s acclaimed young adult novel, which follows two children from different eras as they set out to find people from their pasts.

Drama 2017 116 mins

Director: Todd Haynes

CC

Overview

Todd Haynes brings a typically imaginative, playfully cinematic eye to his adaptation of Brian Selznick’s acclaimed young adult novel. Ben and Rose may be from very different worlds, but they have much in common. Both hearing-impaired, and both desperately unhappy, they each dream of a better life. In 1977, Ben’s life is turned upside down following the tragic death of his mother. All alone in the world, Ben discovers a note which might lead to his absent father’s whereabouts, and sets off on a mission to New York to find him. Meanwhile, in 1927, introverted Rose is obsessed with silent movie star Lillian Mayhew. Fleeing her neglectful father, she too ventures to the Big Apple to track down the famed actress. Once in the city, both youngsters are drawn to the American Museum of Natural History, where their seemingly disparate paths mysteriously intertwine.

Effortlessly juggling dual narratives (and dual cinematic styles), Haynes tackles Selznick’s own script with boundless imagination, combining the playful experimentation of his most formally daring works Poison or I’m Not There, with the graceful storytelling of Far from Heaven and Carol.

Both a whimsical children’s film for adults and a refreshingly grown-up film for children, Wonderstruck will leave you just that.

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