Don’t take it at face value

orbit, hit own gravity is something he is completely oblivious to.

During the story he does become aware of it, and it is an uncomfortable discovery. The scene in which it all catches up to him is a beautifully understated and powerful moment.

Because, despite the focus and narrative we are conditioned to expect from a film like this, it really isn’t all about Auggie. No matter how bad you think your life is, or how hard you think you have it, it’s not all about you, everyone has more beneath the surface. And even Auggie needs to learn that.

In one especially heartbreaking scene, Auggie’s dad is seen awake in the middle of the night, sitting alone at the dining table and crying. There is something so potently simple and vulnerable about that image. Even the joker of the family, the father figure who can always be relied on to break the tension with a laugh and keep everyone’s spirits up, even he cannot bear the weight all the time.

Buoyed by incredible central performances from a barely recognisable Tremblay and a heartbreaking Vidovic, and supported by Roberts and Wilson, Wonder is just a beautiful film.

Adapted from the children’s novel of the same name by R.J. Palacio, it really is something than can be as easily digested by children as adults. And whether you watch it as a family, or solo and weeping in the dark like I did, it is an inspiring story about the value of kindness and empathy … and Star Wars.

(PG) is now showing at the State Cinema, Village Cinemas and Cmax. Rating: