Based on the book by R.J. Palacio, Marc Forster’s YA movie is a bit of brand extension, a spinoff from the hit tearjerker Wonder
could just stick to being a Holocaust story. If only director Marc Forster’s maudlin attempt at wrangling one of the most devastating chapters of the last century into a teachable moment for tween audiences were left to operate on its own whimsical terms. It would have at least been bearable, functional even; an addition to the narrow field of movies making that particular history palatable for a grade school audience – thinkThe earlier movie, adapted from R.J.
The movie comes alive, in as much as a syrupy YA take on the subject matter can, when turning back the clock a century to young Sara. She’s played wonderfully by almond-eyed newcomer Ariella Glaser as a typical preteen living the French provincial life: riding her bike along the cobblestones and quaint tree-lined paths or frolicking in fields where CGI bluebells bloom and an artificial sunset glows. That is, until the Nazis storm the town to round up all the Jewish citizens.
The sequence in which Sara narrowly escapes a raid on her school is sufficiently thrilling, a reminder that Forster is actually a solid action director. He’s perhaps most famous for his Oscar-winning drama. The movie is largely contained to the barn where Sara hides from the Nazis, with help from a boy named Julien . He’s a polio survivor who walks with a crutch and was the primary target for bullying until antisemitism became the European preoccupation.
As Sara and Julien bide their time in the barn, escaping into their imagination, Forster keeps himself interested by turning the movie into an ode to cinema. Sequences where Sara and Julien use a lantern for hand shadows, draw flip books and eventually perform Charlie Chaplin are just affectionate enough to melt my cynicism.
But these moments are periodically interrupted by Mirren’s meaningless narration. Her interjections often state the obvious and serve little to no purpose beyond dutifully reminding us that this story is connected to a brand. It’s as if she’s saying, “from the people who brought youIn the interest of consistency across all critics’ reviews, The Globe has eliminated its star-rating system in film and theatre to align with coverage of music, books, visual arts and dance.
Sara Movie Story Julien School Julian Coverage Bird Tosca Jacob Tremblay Gillian Anderson
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How White Guys Are Mobilizing Other White Guys To Elect Kamala HarrisLiz Skalka is a political reporter at HuffPost. She previously covered politics in the Midwest. Follow her on Twitter lizskalka.
Read more »
Four more health workers show symptoms after contact with Missouri bird flu patient: officialsSix health care workers who came in contact with the Missouri patient have developed symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says
Read more »
Toronto woman wins bird photographer of the year for photo of 4,000 dead birdsThousands of dead birds, from kingfishers to blue jays, encircle a wild turkey to illustrate in one snapshot a mere fragment of how many die from colliding into glass windows – a death that can be easily prevented, the Torontonian photographer says.
Read more »
Am I still a bird watcher if I don’t care about what they are called?The beauty is in the bird itself, the way its wings slice through the air with the grace of a dandelion gone to seed, touched by a gust of wind
Read more »
Bird named among the top 30 companies on the TSX in 2024 - Daily Commercial NewsCanada's construction news
Read more »
Bird feeder angst: By giving songbirds food, am I domesticating them?While watching the birds in my backyard, I wondered if they would be better off without my help
Read more »