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| Scene from Wendy (2020) |
Up until now, director Benh Zeitlin felt like he was doomed to be the one-hit-wonder of his generation. With the Sundance hit Beasts of the Southern Wild, he gained acclaim for a film that took Hurricane Katrina as symbolism and made it into a Best Picture nominee as well as earning him a Best Director nomination and launching the career of Quevenzhane Wallis. The easy question to ask is: where did he go? A success like that should've gotten him every project that he wanted. Well, after seven years there's at least some idea of what he's been up to. He's the latest to take on the mythology of J.M. Barrie's beloved "Peter Pan" and explore the joys of childhood in his own way. Wendy is a reimagining of sorts that fits within his love of children in the wilderness, and the trailer promises to take audiences to the familiar landscape of whimsy that made his first film such a beloved classic to many.
It does seem too early to be thinking towards the next Oscar season, but then again things have thankfully changed in the past few years. Thanks to films like The Grand Budapest Hotel and Mad Max: Fury Road, the whole year is used to promote quality Best Picture nominees instead of the less inspired Fall season approach that has impacted most of the category's history. Zeitlin definitely benefited from it last time around with Beasts of the Southern Wild coming out in early summer, managing to garner praise over the course of months as people found the film. In fact, the film is still so beloved that Dan Romer's "Once There Was a Hushpuppy" is still being used in commercials. The film hasn't gone away even if it seemed like Zeitlin did.
All things considered, Wendy makes sense of a project for him. His choice to focus on childlike innocence in his debut gave him a unique perspective that he has yet to expand upon. The choice to explore it through a Peter Pan lens will if nothing else be interesting and produce something just as grand. However, recent attempts at Peter Pan mythology have been mixed, especially with the box office bomb from director Joe Wright called Pan, which found itself just as much under controversy for its casting of Rooney Mara as Tiger Lilly (of which she publicly expressed regret within months of the film's release). Still, the choice to make the film more of a naturalist approach is an angle that hasn't really been explored often and may give him an edge in terms of interpretations.
Check out the trailer below:
It looks like a lot of fun. Here's the plot description according to IMDb:
Lost on a mysterious island where aging and time have come unglued, Wendy must fight to save her family, her freedom, and the joyous spirit of youth from the deadly peril of growing up.
I suppose the easy way of looking at this is that Zeitlin definitely has a style. His choice to be selective of projects likely benefits this. While most of his peers have jumped from indie darlings to studio films, his choice to stick with small stories will likely help him develop something more satisfying and fulfilling to his work. In fact, the trailer largely has that Beasts of the Southern Wild tone. It's hard to explain properly, but anyone who saw the film will recognize the use of Romer's score and the jubilant child discovering the world around them. There's a lot that's immediately likable about the film, let alone the idea that Zeitlin stands a chance of creating something unique and exciting.
The only question following Wendy is if he will be back sooner than later, or if this is just how he works. I am not one to fault filmmakers for taking their time between projects, but considering that it will have been eight years since we last saw him, it does seem worrisome to think that his third film won't come until the end of the 2020s. For now, he looks to have a fun new movie that finds kids exploring the majesty of nature, and what's not to love about that? This is a good trailer and one that should work at finding the adventure inside all of us.
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