Wonderland (1999)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Writer:

Laurence Coriat (writer)

Release Date:

21 August 1999 (Taiwan)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Everybody's looking for something.

Plot:

There's little wonder in the working-class lives of Bill, Eileen, and their three grown daughters. They're lonely Londoners...

Plot Keywords:

Working Class | Guy Fawkes Day | Marital Relations | Contact Ad | Family Relationships

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Shirley Henderson	...	Debbie
Gina McKee	...	Nadia
Molly Parker	...	Molly
Ian Hart	...	Dan
John Simm	...	Eddie
Stuart Townsend	...	Tim
Kika Markham	...	Eileen
Jack Shepherd	...	Bill
Enzo Cilenti	...	Darren
Sarah-Jane Potts	...	Melanie
David Fahm	...	Franklyn
Ellen Thomas	...	Donna
Peter Marfleet	...	Jack
Nathan Constance	...	Alex
Anton Saunders	...	Danny

Also Known As:

Snarl Up (UK) (working title)
Untitled Love Story (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong sexuality, and for language.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Iceland:L | South Korea:18 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | New Zealand:M | Spain:13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Movie Connections:

References Elizabeth (1998)

Soundtrack:

Tranquility - Whales of the Pacific

Scarred people

This isn't a cute film. It's no "Notting Hill", that's for sure. How London has been portrayed in this film is no advert for the place. Cold, nervous, loud, lonely. This is London. Warts and all. Shot in an eerie, lonely manner the film deals with individuals, whose lives have criss-crossed (or ultimately will).

I suppose at the hub of the film is a tired train-wreck of a marriage between two upper middle-aged people. The mother, unable to show affection, unable to give anything at all, and a father who keeps the act up, while hurting deep down. He's popular with the neighbors, his wife is aggressive, spiteful and is in denial of what a couch-potato she has become.

They have four children, all "adults". Three girls and a son, of whom they have very sparse contact (the father dotes, and longs for him). It's in the lives and relationships of the three daughters that the film is centered. All of whom have scars from their up-bringing. I presume the mother's problems have been handed over to the girls. One, a young mother, has difficulty showing affection to her son. Another constantly on the look out for someone to love her. It's very, very agonizing. The third daughter is heavily pregnant, and is in a relationship with a guy who has problems of his own.

Gritty. Scary and ultimately warm. (Well a few degrees above 0 Kelvin, anyway).

I found it very interesting. Makes one think.