The Wonder

At the end of “The Wonder,” we see that Nurse Lib Wright has taken drastic measures to free Anna from her abusive and exploitative situation. After convincing Anna that she is going to die and be reborn as Nan—an act designed to free her from the cycle of abuse and the false religiosity imposed on her—Lib runs away with Anna, performing a ritual that involves her pretending to pass out and then awakening with a new identity for Anna. She then destroys all evidence of their plans—burning her sedative and the baby booties—to erase her past memories, symbolized by fire, which in many traditions represents purification and destruction. Lib then claims that her accidental act of knocking over a lamp was the cause of the fire, and she leaves the house with Anna, now calling her Nan, to live together in London as a family unit, safe from the falsehoods and exploitation of the village.

Throughout the film, there are film set and storytelling meta-elements, such as the opening showing that the story is being shot like a movie, and the final scene revealing a modern person, Kitty O’Donnell, watching everything unfold and breaking the fourth wall. These elements suggest that “The Wonder” is also commenting on the nature of stories—how they shape our understanding and perceptions of truth. It’s implied that the story of Anna’s fasting and Lib’s intervention is as much a constructed narrative as it is a real event, emphasizing that stories, whether fictional or based on reality, serve to shed light on issues of oppression and the power of storytelling itself.

In the end, Lib successfully liberates Anna, not through conventional means, but by staging her death and creating a new beginning in a safer, modern world. The film leaves the audience pondering whether the truth of Anna’s past is truly erased or suppressed deep within her subconscious, and it highlights how narratives can be manipulated to bring about what we perceive as justice or liberation. Ultimately, the story is a reflection on the power of stories to both imprison and free, depending on how they are told and who tells them.It’s a reminder that sometimes, to truly free someone, you have to rewrite the story altogether.

Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:57