Wendy (film)
Wendy is a 2020 American fantasy drama film directed by Benh Zeitlin, from a screenplay by Zeitlin and Eliza Zeitlin. The film stars Devin France, Yashua Mack, Gage Naquin, Gavin Naquin, Ahmad Cage, Krzysztof Meyn, and Romyri Ross. It is intended to be a re-imagining of J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan.
Wendy | |
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Directed by | Benh Zeitlin |
Screenplay by |
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Based on | Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Sturla Brandth Grøvlen |
Edited by | Affonso Gonçalves |
Music by | Dan Romer |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Searchlight Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 112 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $6 million[2] |
Box office | $143,518[3][4] |
Wendy had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2020 and was released on February 28, 2020 by Searchlight Pictures.
Plot
Wendy Darling lives in the rural South with her waitress mother Angela and twin brothers James and Douglas. One night, when the children request a bedtime story, Angela tells them about her life and how she was forced to give up on her dreams in order to raise a family. Wendy wonders whether the same thing will happen to her.
The next night, as the train passes by their bedroom window, Wendy notices a boy riding on top of the train cars. The three children climb out of their window and join the boy, Peter, who takes them all to a tropical island with an active volcano, which Peter calls "Mother." The island is populated by other children, including their long-lost brother Thomas, who has not aged. Peter explains that Mother's spirit resides in the volcano and prevents the children from aging, so long as they believe in her. They later discover a large glowing fish, which is Mother's other form.
While exploring a capsized boat called the Mañana, Douglas injures his head and disappears from sight. The children search for him without success. Missing his twin brother, James withdraws emotionally and his right hand begins to show signs of age. James becomes afraid and asks Peter to cut the hand off lest he become old. Shocked and disgusted, Wendy pulls James away from the group and they explore the back of the island. They encounter a settlement of "Olds," children who lost faith in Mother and thus began to age normally. James, bitter at having to grow up without Douglas, rallies the group to kill and eat Mother's fish form in order to regain their youth. The Olds kidnap the children to use as bait for Mother and repurpose the Mañana as a fishing boat.
While evading the Olds, Wendy and Peter find Douglas alive. They swim to the Mañana, where they find the now elderly James, with a hook in place of his missing right hand. As Peter and Wendy rescue the children, James kills Mother with a harpoon. With Peter and the children mournful and the Olds disheartened, Wendy gets them to all start singing, which inspires Peter and revitalizes the volcano. Wendy and Douglas decide it is time for them to go home. Knowing that he cannot go home, James stays to play with Peter as his new “enemy” Captain Hook, thereby allowing him to live out the rest of his days with the spirit of a child.
Cast
- Devin France as Wendy Darling
- Tommie Milazzo as Baby Wendy
- Allison Campbell as Adult Wendy
- Yashua Mack as Peter Pan
- Gage Naquin as Douglas Darling
- Gavin Naquin as James Darling
- Kevin Pugh as Captain James Hook
- Ahmad Cage as Sweet Heavy
- Krzysztof Meyn as Thomas
- Romyri Ross as Cudjoe Head
- Lowell Landes as Buzzo
- Shay Walker as Angela Darling
Production
In August 2015, it was announced Benh Zeitlin would write and direct the film.[5] Production began in March 2017, with filming taking place in Montserrat.[6]
Release
In April 2018, Searchlight Pictures acquired North American distribution rights to the film.[7] It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2020.[8] It was released on February 28, 2020.[9]
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 42% based on 112 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Wendy dares to do something different with its classic source material; unfortunately, the movie's breathtaking visuals are at odds with a flawed take on the story."[10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[11]
References
- "Wendy". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- Kois, Dan (February 24, 2020). "Wendy Makes the Case for Studio Meddling". Slate. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- "Wendy (2020)". The Numbers. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- "Wendy (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- Jagernauth, Kevin (August 6, 2015). "'Beasts Of The Southern Wild' Director Benh Zeitlin Gearing Up New Film 'Wendy'". IndieWire. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- Sharf, Zack (March 2, 2017). "Benh Zeitlin May Finally Be Shooting His Follow-Up to 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' in the Caribbean". IndieWire. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- "FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES ANNOUNCES SEARCHLIGHT TELEVISION FOR BROADCAST, CABLE AND STREAMING". Fox Searchlight Pictures. April 11, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- Siegel, Tatiana (December 4, 2019). "Sundance Unveils Female-Powered Lineup Featuring Taylor Swift, Gloria Steinem, Abortion Road Trip Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- Buchanan, Kyle (October 17, 2019). "Benh Zeitlin is back! It's been 84 years, etc". Twitter. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- "Wendy (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- "Wendy Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 11, 2020.