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Wonderland [DVD] [2001] [1 disc] [Multilingual] [Region 1]

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

Michael Winterbottom's WONDERLAND is a grittily realistic drama that follows the members of one South London family over the course of a four day period. The parents, Eileen (Kika Markham) and Bill (Jack Shepherd), are defeated, weary rivals whose relationship has all but disintegrated. Their children are not much better off: Debbie (Shirley Henderson) is a foul-mouthed hairdresser with an eleven-year-old son, Jack (Peter Marfleet); Molly (Molly Parker) is about to have a baby with Eddie (John Simm), who has just become unemployed; and Nadia (Gina McKee) is a lonely waitress who has stooped to meeting prospective mates through the personals. As the weekend unfolds, the sisters walk through the sad streets of London, waiting for happiness to return to their lives. Winterbottom's choice to film WONDERLAND on location in the pubs and streets of London in super-16mm, with a hand-held camera and natural lighting, gives the film a realism that is at once tragic and honest. Added to this is the entire cast, who embody their characters so completely that one might forget they're even acting. Michael Nyman's despondently blissful score appears under the sped up and slowed down images of a dreary London, boldly expressing the characters' inner melancholy, making WONDERLAND a film that retains a glimmer of hope even at its bleakest moments.
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 21255
Credits

Gina McKee, Molly Parker, Ian Hart, John Simm, Shirley Henderson, Kika Markham, Jack Shepherd, Enzo Cilenti, Peter Marfleet, Stuart Townsend, David Fahm
Critic Reviews

"...[Troubled relationships are] tartly observed and beautifully acted by the ensemble cast..."
Movieline's Hollywood Life
"...WONDERLAND contains enough soul and insight to make it a consistently bewitching experience..."
Sight and Sound
"...[Gina McKee] is heartbreaking and makes not one false move..."
USA Today
"...Ms. McKee and David Fahm are intriguing..."
New York Times
"...WONDERLAND is an intimate, affecting family drama with a homespun feel that often surprises with its ability to move the viewer in simple ways..." -- 4 out of 5 stars
Box Office
"...WONDERLAND is an extraordinary film, as entertaining as it is observant, about ordinary people....The film's performances are uniformly splendid..."
Los Angeles Times
"...Winterbottom and screenwriter Laurence Coriat go out into their city and attend to how people live and how they feel....They are listeners to ordinary lives..."
Chicago Sun-Times
"...WONDERLAND offers an intriguing and exciting glimpse into the lives of a London family....This is exemplary..."
Total Film