Page 2 February 27, 2020
Entertainment
Check It Out
Film Review
The Dutch Wendy, a Gorgeous Ode House by Ann Patchett
to Never Growing Up
By Ryan Rojas
Following his feature film debut, 2012’s
Beasts of the Southern Wild, audiences have
eagerly awaited Benh Zietlin’s return to the
big screen. And now, eight not-so-short-years
later, it’s finally here, with Benh (pronounced
Ben) returning to adapt the beloved story of
Peter Pan and make it his own in Wendy (in
select theaters starting Friday).
Devin France as Wendy in Wendy. Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.
Setting the film in a place of real-world
fantasy (very much like Beasts), Benh’s version
sees similarly spirited, untamable children
who yearn for adventure beyond the world
they live in, and yet are brought down by
grown-ups; here being depicted as lifeless,
joyless, existing in body but far gone from
their childhood selves.
It’s with this devotion to celebrating childhood
that Zeitlin centers his story of Peter
Pan – and around his main character, Wendy
(Devin France). Wendy is a spirited, tough,
yet warm-hearted child, who along with her
two brothers Douglas and James (Gage and
Gavin Naquin), are one night lured out their
bedroom window by a curious figure atop a
bustling freight train. As impulse leads Wendy
and her brothers out the window and after a
short boat ride later, they find themselves a
world away, on an island of magnificent wonder
where they’re free from their previous life’s
confinements. Finding similarly stowed away
kids, these “lost boys” are unbound in daily
adventure. Yet Wendy and her brothers remain
transfixed by the one who led them out the
window, the wise-as-he-is-playful Peter (Yashua
Mack), whose orders to never grow up come
more as a dire warning than simple words.
Wendy continues to unpack the rest of the
mythology of Peter Pan, giving unexpected and
insightful reason behind the known elements
that make up the rest of the story: those who
have grown old and desperate on the island
who threaten the lost boys, a pirate ship in
the form of a large fishing boat, and yes – the
rise of Peter’s infamous foe, Captain Hook.
And of course, magical realism does abound
in the film. Fantastical elements do dance with
reality, where playfully eruptive volcanoes
and the island’s protecting oceanic-dweller,
“Mother,” expand the world even more. It’s
in these moments where audiences will either
ask themselves, “is this all real?” And that
question is answered by, if you choose to see
life through the eyes of a child, it is.
It’s for these reasons combined that Wendy
is not only one of the most welcomed entries
into the Peter Pan filmography, but one of the
most accomplished films about childhood in
recent times. Benh Zeitlin is an artist who,
with his singular immaculate vision, celebrates
the world of seeing life with wonder, awe,
fearlessness, curiosity, zest and untamed spirit.
And that’s what I found most movies about
Peter Pan miss, and makes the classic story
what it is: a story of embracing life that will
never age for as long as its audiences don’t
either. 112 minutes. ‘Wendy’ is rated PG-13
for brief violent/bloody images. •
Ryan Rojas.
Reviewed by Kristina Kora-Beckman,
Senior Librarian, El Segundo Public
Library
Ann Patchett’s latest novel, The Dutch
House, is about a brother and sister, Danny
and Maeve, who grow up in an iconic house
on the outskirts of Philadelphia, but are exiled
by their stepmother, and how they come to
terms with that event and the effect it takes
on the rest of their lives. The house itself
almost becomes a character that Danny and
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Maeve often visit as adults, recounting their
past and struggling to move past the anger
and rage they feel as a result of the exile.
Patchett excels at storytelling including lush
descriptions of the house and its artifacts and
character development of the family members
and their troubled pasts. In this dark,
grown-up family saga fairy tale, she deftly
explores themes of family bonds, obligations
and the multi-layered relationships that are
tested by conflicting loyalties.
I enjoyed the book’s descriptions of flawed
characters that struggle with fulfilling obligations
to the people they love versus pursuing
their true passions, no matter the cost. I
also liked seeing how the house represents
different things to different characters, for
some its success and security, to others its
oppression and a life few could obtain, and
yet to others, it is the ultimate goal to be
acquired. The story is rich, heartbreaking
and utterly unforgettable.
To check out The Dutch House or any other
Ann Patchett titles, please visit the library to
apply for your free library card. •
Kristina Kora-Beckman
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