Film Review
Film Review
Film Review
"When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind," reads
Summer, as Mr. Browne had introduced a new precept for the class on the first day of 5th grade.
Based on R.J. Palacio's award-winning novel, Stephen Chbosky directs the film Wonder, which
reflects the precept throughout the school year (“Choose Kind”). August - the lead protagonist,
repeats this inspirational quote as he receives his standing ovation for an award. But why? What
makes him so special? In the first scene of the film, he sighs and says, "I know I'm not an
ordinary 10-year-old," as he hides his face in an astronaut helmet. When he reveals it, we see
why. With his undeveloped ears, uneven scarred skin, and tear-dropped eyes, the young child
describes his craniofacial disorder that goes along with 27 operations (Kenny). However, this
school year, he transitions from being home-schooled by his mother to attending a mainstream
The movie Wonder story tell August's journey through the 5th grade as he deals with
social rejection due to his facial disfigurement and struggles to discover his acceptance in society
with his classmates. Not only does he struggle to make friends, but also gets harassed by bullies
from the "popular" group. These intimidators convince him to believe that he isn’t “human”
enough due to his appearance, which leads to an internal conflict within himself. C. Nathan
DeWall, a psychologist from the University of Kentucky says, “Humans have a fundamental
need to belong. Just as we have needs for food and water, we also have needs for positive and
lasting relationships.” (Weir). From this, we become conscious that everybody yearns for social
One of his most favorable traits of himself is a braid he grew, as it matches his favorite Star Wars
character – Padawan. On the first day of school, Julian – the main antagonist – taunts him about
his braid. He then immediately walks away, putting on his astronaut helmet to cover his face.
With this helmet symbolizing his insecurity, he feels safe when hiding his true self (“Wonder
Symbols, Allegory and Motifs”). Afterward, the scene shows the agonized fellow rushing home
and zooms into an extreme close-up shot towards a pair of scissors to emphasize a crucial prop,
which he grabs to cut his braid off without hesitating. This scene highlights his longing for
acceptance; he’d lose his favorite braid just for some form of validation from society.
As the story continues, he eventually befriends Jack Will. Like any other friendship, their
bond is inseparable as they play video games, eat lunch together while competing who was
“more disgusting”, play thumb wars and fight with lightsabers. Soon enough, Halloween was
around the corner. It was August’s favorite holiday because it’s the only day of the year where he
could hold his head high rather than avoid being seen. Nobody cared about August’s deformed
face. The scene successfully portrays his contentment on that day by maximizing its saturation
and bright lighting, showing positive emotions. As he wears his Ghostface costume, he
cheerfully skips through the hallways and high-fives a random kid in slow-motion. However, he
then overhears Julian and his friends – including Jack – teasing him behind his back. Out of them
all, his own best friend betrays him and jokes that he’d “kill himself if he looked like August”. In
similar ways, we see that he’d cross boundaries, like making fun of August, just to fit in with the
popular boys. On the other hand, Auggie loses all hope in friendship. In contrary to the prior
scene, the hue of this scene heavily desaturates. As he slowly walks out the hallway with his
head down, the tormented little soul rejects the same random kid’s high-five. Stephen Chbosky
intentionally differentiates the two cinematic experiences from both scenes; the prior scene
illustrates exhilaration and the latter expresses desolation and betrayal. It emphasizes the moment
Jack’s cruel words reached August’s ears and drained all of his happiness. Auggie starts truly
believing the atrocious comments society has constantly told him every single day. He was
extremely outraged until he shouts at his mother, saying he’d do anything to be born without a
birth defect to be like the others. Again, this asserts his hatred of social rejection.
Towards the end of the story, a key scene illustrates the epitome of his journey which
happens when Beecher Prep School stays in a nature reserve for a field trip. While Jack and
August go out for a break, they encounter a few seventh graders who teased Auggie's face. This
leads to a physical fight between the two groups. As Jack falls, Auggie keeps defending himself.
Throughout the school year, he has always accepted and ignored society’s criticism, but this
moment shows his character growth in which he finally stands up for himself. Here, the hue of
the scene desaturates, signifying all his indignation and resentment fighting against unfair
cruelty. It then quickly alternates from one short cut to another, utilizing a close-up shot to focus
on the punches and kicks to create high adrenaline. Seconds later, Julian's friends rush over to
see the commotion and surprisingly fights back the older kids, siding with August. They
eventually scurry away to a lake bank. August then cries happy tears as he feels a surge of joy
because of how Julian's friends finally accepted him for who he was instead of his appearance.
The scene utilizes a master shot of the friend’s silhouette staring to the horizon of the lake to
capture the scene in its entirety, emphasizing on the new bond they shared. It reveals that August
finally redeems his longing for being tolerated in society. Ultimately, he even refuses to wear his
effectively discussing the significance of personal development of dealing with social rejection
ingrained in August’s journey – as a person with a facial deformity. His character and acceptance
in the school community develop from the first day of school to the last day of graduation. In the
beginning, all the students shot disgusted glances at him and commented cruelly about his face
whenever he passed by. But by the end of the film, he has made close friendships with Summer
and Jack and was acclaimed by everyone in the school assembly as he proudly walks up to the
podium to be awarded the biggest accomplishment of 5th grade: the Henry Ward Beecher Award,
which is annually bestowed to a student for recognition of their acts of service towards others.
As we understand by now, his journey wasn’t simple. However, in the end, he smiled and proved
that “you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.”
After watching this sentimental family-friendly film, we understand to accept others for
who they truly are instead of their appearances. Not only because we’ve no idea what others are
going through, but also to make life better for everyone. By conveying its meaningful moral
about social acceptance, Wonder’s transformative power changes the audience’s perspectives on
Works Cited
“Choose Kind.” Wonder, 20 Sept. 2020, wonderthebook.com/choose-kind#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIf
%20you%20have%20a%20choice.
Kenny, Glenn. “Review: In ‘Wonder,’ a Not-So-Ordinary Boy Makes His Way.” The New York Times,
www.apa.org/monitor/2012/04/rejection.
www.gradesaver.com/wonder/study-guide/symbols-allegory-motifs.