Wonderwell | |
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Directed by | Vlad Marsavin |
Written by | William Brookfield |
Based on | Drainhole Dreaming by William Brookfield |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Kenji Katori |
Edited by | Emma E. Hickox |
Music by | |
Production company | Strange Quark Films |
Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes |
Countries |
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Language | English |
External videos | |
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WONDERWELL Trailer (2023) |
Wonderwell is a 2023 Italian-American fantasy film directed by Vlad Marsavin, produced by Fred Roos, and based on the short story "Drainhole Dreaming" by William Brookfield. It stars Carrie Fisher (in her final film role before her death in 2016), Rita Ora, Kiera Milward, and Nell Tiger Free.
At 12 years old, Violet (Kiera Milward) lives in Italy with her parents (Lloyd Owen and Megan Dodds) and her beautiful older sister Savannah (Nell Tiger Free). When she is selected to be the face of world-renowned designer Yana’s (Rita Ora) fashion label, the family travels to an enchanting medieval village for her first photo shoot. Neglected and bored, Violet wanders from the ancient Tuscan town into a nearby forest where she meets the enigmatic Hazel (Carrie Fisher), who may be the fabled witch of the woods Violet was warned about by Yana’s beleaguered stepson, Daniele (Sebastian Croft). Guided by Hazel to a mysterious portal, Violet is offered a glimpse of what her future might hold, but like the transition from childhood to womanhood, it may be a journey of no return.
Principal photography took place in Tuscany and in Cinecittà Studios in Rome, Italy between October 2016 and February 2017. Several scenes were shot in ancient Etruscan towns San Gimigniano and Volterra. Veteran producer Fred Roos, known for his lifelong collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola, brought Fisher, Ora and a number of the key creative team to the project. Fisher, who passed away in late 2016, [1] [2] just six weeks after wrapping her scenes, leads the cast alongside British singer and actress Rita Ora [3] and newcomer Kiera Milward. [4]
The film's score, composed by William Ross, was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The late Angelo Badalamenti, known for his collaborations with David Lynch on projects including Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive, composed the film's "Violet’s Theme". One of the film's central characters, The Creature, was inspired by Cel, the Etruscan goddess of the Mother Earth and designed by art director Daniele Auber, known for his works for Terry Gilliam and Luc Besson.
Due to interruptions with funding, post-production was extended until early 2020, and then, due to the COVID-19 lockdowns, all work on the almost finished film was suspended for several months.
On June 14, 2023, Deadline Hollywood has announced that Vertical acquired North American, UK, and Ireland rights to the film and published an announcement of the film's release, and on June 16, 2023, it published the official theatrical poster and first official trailer. The film had a limited theatrical release in the U.S. and also appeared on all online platforms on June 23, 2023. [5]
Wonderwell was also released in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Slovakia, and the Benelux countries on November 24, 2023, by Splendid Film.[ citation needed ]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 38% of 8 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.3/10. [6]
The release of the last Carrie Fisher film was welcomed with enthusiasm by her fans and by fans of the fantasy genre. [7]
Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave the film one out of five stars, deeming it "a rather limp, confusing little fantasy that could have been left gathering even more dust on the shelf without anyone needing to know". [8]
Independent blogger Mike Haberfelner called Wonderwell "a visually stunning film, full of impressive set designs", "a mix of coming-of-age story, dark fairy tale and thriller, in which well fleshed-out characters are embodied by a relatable ensemble cast, making this a pretty cool and pretty unusual ride." [9]
WORLDFILMGEEK portal said that “Wonderwell is a terrific and emotionally charged fantasy film that closes the book of a Hollywood icon. Carrie Fisher’s final performance is a wonderful delight to see as someone who not only loves the work but brings that iconic off-screen personality to the screens. We still miss Carrie Fisher, but there couldn’t be a better sendoff than this film.” [10]
Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer with her portrayal of Helen Kane in the 1950 film Three Little Words. Her breakout role was her first leading role, as Kathy Selden in Singin' in the Rain (1952). Her other successes include The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), Susan Slept Here (1954), Bundle of Joy, The Catered Affair, and Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), in which her performance of the song "Tammy" topped the Billboard music charts. In 1959, she starred in The Mating Game and released her first pop music album, titled Debbie.
Nell is a 1994 American drama film directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay written by William Nicholson. The film stars Jodie Foster as Nell Kellty, a young woman who has to face other people for the first time after being raised by her mother in an isolated cabin. Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Richard Libertini, and Nick Searcy are featured in supporting roles. Based on Mark Handley's play Idioglossia, the script for Nell was developed by co-producer Renée Missel and was inspired by Handley's time living in the Cascade Mountains in the 1970s, and the story of Poto and Cabengo, twins who created their own language.
Carrie Frances Fisher was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the original Star Wars films (1977–1983) and reprised the role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)—a posthumous release that was dedicated to her—and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), through the use of unreleased footage from The Force Awakens. Her other film credits include Shampoo (1975), The Blues Brothers (1980), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), The 'Burbs (1989), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Soapdish (1991), and The Women (2008). She was nominated twice for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her performances in the NBC sitcom 30 Rock (2007) and the Channel 4 series Catastrophe (2017).
Drop Dead Fred is a 1991 black comedy fantasy film directed by Ate de Jong, produced by PolyGram and Working Title Films and released and distributed by New Line Cinema, starring Phoebe Cates as a young woman named Elizabeth Cronin and Rik Mayall as her imaginary friend, Drop Dead Fred, with Marsha Mason, Carrie Fisher, Ron Eldard, Tim Matheson, and Bridget Fonda in supporting roles. It follows Elizabeth as she is haunted by Fred in adulthood. It received negative reviews from critics.
Mary Elle Fanning is an American actress. She made her film debut as a child as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film I Am Sam (2001). She appeared in several other films as a child actress, including Daddy Day Care (2003), Babel (2006), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Phoebe in Wonderland, and the miniseries The Lost Room (2006). She then had leading roles in Sofia Coppola's drama Somewhere (2010) and J. J. Abrams' science fiction film Super 8 (2011).
AnnaSophia Robb is an American actress, model, and singer. She began as a child actress on television, making her feature film debut in Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), followed by the supporting role of Violet Beauregarde in Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). Her performance as Leslie Burke in Bridge to Terabithia (2007) garnered her recognition and praise, and two Young Artist Awards. She received wider recognition and praise for playing surfer Bethany Hamilton in the 2011 film Soul Surfer and the lead role of Carrie Bradshaw on The CW's series The Carrie Diaries (2013–2014). In 2019, she played the role of Gypsy Blanchard's neighbor Lacey in the Hulu miniseries The Act.
Finian's Rainbow is a 1968 American musical fantasy film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and adapted by E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy from the 1947 stage musical of the same name. It stars Fred Astaire, Petula Clark, and Tommy Steele. The plot follows an Irishman and his daughter, who steal a leprechaun's magic pot of gold and emigrate to the American South, where they become involved in a dispute between rural landowners and a greedy, racist U.S. senator.
Rita Sahatçiu Ora is a British singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. Born in Pristina, modern-day Kosovo, she rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut studio album, Ora (2012), debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and contained the UK number-one singles, "R.I.P." and "How We Do (Party)". She had the most number-one songs on the UK Singles Chart in 2012, with three singles reaching number-one.
Nell Tiger Free is an English actress and singer. She began her career as a child actress in the films Mr Stink and Broken. She also played Myrcella Baratheon in seasons 5 and 6 of the HBO series Game of Thrones (2015–2016). She has since starred in the Apple TV+ series Servant (2019–2023), the Amazon Prime series Too Old to Die Young (2019) and the movies Settlers (2021) and The First Omen (2024).
Carrie Fisher was an American actress and writer. During her almost five-decade-long career, she had appearances in over 50 films, as well as various television series, documentaries, late night talk shows, video games, and commercials. Her credits also include writing novels, screenplays, and television specials and series episodes.
"Let You Love Me" is a song by British singer Rita Ora from her second studio album, Phoenix (2018). The song was written by Ora, Ilsey Juber, Noonie Bao, Linus Wiklund, Fred Gibson and Finn Keane, and produced by the last two. It was released on 21 September 2018 by Atlantic Records UK, as the album's fourth single. "Let You Love Me" is an electropop love song with elements of synth-pop.
Stella's Last Weekend is a 2018 American comedy film written and directed by Polly Draper and starring her sons, Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff.
"Carry On" is a song by Norwegian producer Kygo and British singer Rita Ora, released as a standalone single for the 2019 film, Pokémon Detective Pikachu. The song plays during the end credits of the film. "Carry On" was released on 19 April 2019, through RCA Records. The music video was released on the same day.
Luck is a 2022 animated fantasy comedy film directed by Peggy Holmes and co-directed by Javier Abad, from a screenplay written by Kiel Murray, and a story conceived by Murray and the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, based on an original concept created by Rebeca Carrasco, Juan De Dios, and Julián Romero. Produced by Skydance Animation, the film features the voices of Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Flula Borg, Lil Rel Howery, Colin O'Donoghue, and John Ratzenberger. Set in the Land of Luck, the story follows the unluckiest person, Sam Greenfield (Noblezada), as she must unite with a talking black cat named Bob (Pegg) to turn her luck around.
Mack & Rita is a 2022 American comedy film directed by Katie Aselton, from a screenplay by Madeline Walter and Paul Welsh. The plot follows a 30-year-old woman who wakes up as her 70-year-old self after a bachelorette party. Taylour Paige, Loretta Devine, Amy Hill, Lois Smith, Wendie Malick, Simon Rex, Martin Short and Dustin Milligan also star. The film was released on August 12, 2022, by Gravitas Premiere, to negative reviews from critics, including a worst actress nomination for Keaton, but the performances of Paige and Milligan were praised.
The Princess is a 2022 American fantasy action comedy thriller film directed by Le-Van Kiet and starring Joey King in the title role with Dominic Cooper, Olga Kurylenko, and Veronica Ngo. The film focuses on a strong-willed princess who fights to protect her family and save the kingdom when her suitor, a cruel sociopath she refuses to marry, intends on taking over the kingdom. The Princess, released on Hulu on July 1, 2022. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, who praised King's performance, but criticized the screenplay.
Megalopolis is a 2024 American epic science fiction drama film written, directed, and produced by Francis Ford Coppola. The film stars Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D. B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman. Set in an imagined modern United States, it follows visionary architect Cesar Catilina (Driver) as he clashes with the corrupt Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Esposito) in determining how to rebuild the metropolis of New Rome after a devastating disaster. The film references the characters involved in the Catilinarian conspiracy of 63 BC, including Catiline and Cicero, in addition to Caesar.
Violet Elizabeth McGraw is an American child actress. She began acting at the age of five, with her debut credited role being a recurring role in the 2016 television series Love as Nina, and her first feature film being in 2018's Ready Player One. In 2019 she was nominated for an OFTA Television Award for Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Limited Series for The Haunting of Hill House. She is also known for her role as Cady in the 2022 horror film M3GAN.
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