One of the major problems with being a film fan, or a British film fan for that matter, is the deep sense of embarrassment whenever a new British film is released, because it's almost always bad. But alas, this is not the case with Michael Winterbottom's fascinating Wonderland. Here Winterbottom has gone back to the roots of the Ken Loach, Mike Leigh genre of kitchen-sink drama, crossing it with the narrative feel of Robert Altman, and the free-from style of Lars von Trier, creating in the process a new and deeply affecting tale of three south London sister over the course of one weekend (three days). The great thing about this is, briefly, for the course of the film anyway, British cinema has it's own identity. The BIG brit films of the last few years have all been tired American knock-offs, from Guy Ritchie's pathetic lock-stock and Snatch, to the empty romanticised views depicted in films like Four Wedding and Notting Hill. Wonderland gives an authentic view of London, without the glamour but with much more pathos, and fully developed characters.
The ensemble cast of rising character actors are perfectly put together, they may not be familiar to some audiences even in the UK, but the work of the three female leads, McKee, Parker and Henderson are given fine support from the men, Ian Hart, John Simm and David Fahm. The cinema-verite style gives the film a strong realism, making some the more depressing scenes almost un-watchable, but Winterbottom and writer Laurence Coriat should be commended for trying something different within the confines of the ever-predictable British Film Industry (). It sadness me that this film is so underrated, whilst average films like Billy Elliot gather a barrage of Oscar and Bafta nominations, I don't remember Wonderland getting a mention. This is by far the best British film I've seen in a long time, not a perfect film by any means, one flaw would be that some of the characters are pushed to the background, never getting a chance to fully shine, but a film this good is a rare thing. See it now you won't regret it. 9/10
The ensemble cast of rising character actors are perfectly put together, they may not be familiar to some audiences even in the UK, but the work of the three female leads, McKee, Parker and Henderson are given fine support from the men, Ian Hart, John Simm and David Fahm. The cinema-verite style gives the film a strong realism, making some the more depressing scenes almost un-watchable, but Winterbottom and writer Laurence Coriat should be commended for trying something different within the confines of the ever-predictable British Film Industry (). It sadness me that this film is so underrated, whilst average films like Billy Elliot gather a barrage of Oscar and Bafta nominations, I don't remember Wonderland getting a mention. This is by far the best British film I've seen in a long time, not a perfect film by any means, one flaw would be that some of the characters are pushed to the background, never getting a chance to fully shine, but a film this good is a rare thing. See it now you won't regret it. 9/10
