The Hollywood Reporter (Weekly) - The Hollywood Reporter Awards Special
THE WONDER
NETFLIX
In 1862, Crimean War nursing veteran Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) sets off from London to the foggy Irish Midlands for a mystifying endeavor. Thirteen years since the Great Famine, devout villagers are eager to believe in a miracle: Young Anna (Kíla Lord Cassidy) hasn’t eaten in four months, and Lib must determine whether the 11-year-old truly is surviving on “manna from heaven.”
Lib’s vibrant blue nursing ensemble feels bold and authoritative, as she challenges the village’s — and the all-male tribunal’s — rigidity with her pragmatic, sciencebased knowledge. “Lib is coming as the modern, practical woman, going into a repressed, traditional society,” says costume designer Odile DicksMireaux. “She’s trying to show there’s another world out there, really.”
Dicks-Mireaux’s research revealed that the highly trained Nightingale nurses did not wear a standard uniform but just “something practical.” Thus, she gleaned inspiration from imagery of bold color against the dusty Oregon desert in another 19th century-set movie, Kelly Reichardt’s Meek’s Cutoff. Director Sebastián Lelio, who didn’t want a “sad-looking film,” made the final decision on the commanding shade of blue, which looks striking against the lush Irish landscape.
Over her 15-day examination of Anna, Lib’s linen layers — a basque waistline dress and a tonal herringbone jacket with a peplum and pagoda sleeves — take on a life of their own. As she becomes more frantic, Lib leaves her outer-layer buttons undone and forgoes her light petticoats, altering the shape of her skirt, which also becomes increasingly muddy.
Lib’s detachable eyelet lace collar, an authentic vintage piece, speaks to cleanliness practices during infrequent Victorian-era laundering while also offering a character tell. Lib starts her assignment with the delicate accoutrement worn in an immaculate manner. As she soon discovers the reason for Anna’s brother’s absence, the scalloped corners are neglectfully tucked under her jacket. In a literally and figuratively exposed moment, Lib, suffering from her own personal traumas, wears the collar still attached to her chemise undershirt — but not much else. Then, it’s gone altogether, “as she becomes more distracted about how she’s going to save the child,” says Dicks-Mireaux, “rather than being the prim, proper Florence Nightingale nurse.”