Where was the Netflix film The Wonder filmed? We explore the locations and settings for the popular movie.
Set in The Irish Midlands in 1862, The Wonder follows the story of a young girl who stops eating but remains miraculously alive and well.
English nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) is brought to a tiny village to observe eleven-year-old Anna O’Donnell (Kíla Lord Cassidy). Tourists and pilgrims mass to witness the girl who is said to have survived without food for months.
Director Sebastián Leilo crafts a dark piece that pits science and blind faith against each other. Even though it takes place in the 1800s, the conversation can hold some relevance today. Whether it’s blind faith in what God has created or the scientific fact of what has been studied for decades, the conversation of autonomy over one’s body is always important.
The way Leilo and cinematographer Ari Wegner captured the unsettling atmosphere through their incredible visuals and direction made these ideas appear differently to audiences.
It was important to show the difference between the home where Wright and O’Donnell had most of their conversations and how vast the land is in its exterior. One of the best locations to show gorgeous sweeping shots of endless land is definitely Ireland.
The majority of the film was shot in Ireland and it felt homey for the actors as well because they were all from the UK/Ireland. It’s important to create this level of authenticity when shooting such an intimate film like this.
Even though The Wonder had its main focus on Wright and O’Donnell inside the house, it felt so freeing to watch them leave afterward. O’Donnell had been locked up for so long that seeing the beautiful greenery of the outside also overwhelmed her.
Where was the Netflix film The Wonder filmed – a breakdown of locations
Ireland
The Wonder shot principal photography in Ireland, and it is also said to be filmed in the United Kingdom and the United States for some scenes as well.
The filmmakers wanted to film directly in Ireland and get as many UK/Irish actors in the cast to have them working in an Ireland-based film.
The beautiful scenic landscapes of Ireland and the production design do set the period of the 1800s. Director Sebastián Leilo wanted to create this small intimate atmosphere within the home to contrast how vast the country is with those who are blinded by their own faith.
He really used everything in the area to show how one person can be affected by the decisions made for her and around her.
Filming in Ireland had its perks and it’s because it’s so incredibly gorgeous. There are many things that filmmakers can do in the area to make their stories have an impact.
Showing confinement and then the world on the grand scale of things has helped create a sense of openness and freedom that other locations just don’t capture.
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- 10 movies like The Wonder
