MOVIE:
Wonderlus
WHERE TO WATCH:
WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
A wedding goes awry and the morning after, friends and foes need to piece together the puzzle of the night before. In search of answers, a groom needs to pursue the love of his life, a bride has to untangle herself from the past and a waitress tries to escape the present.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
Wonderlus takes a brave look at the conversations, and doubts young South Africans have about love and relationships.
We’ve all experienced the intense anxiety that comes with attending a friend’s wedding at some point in our lives.
Maybe you’re nervous about running into your ex-lover, you’re frustrated your significant other hasn’t popped the question yet, or you’re still healing from a broken heart and now must sit through soppy vows.
Does any of this sound familiar?
What I enjoyed most about Wonderlus is that it delves into these issues and puts it forward in a very relatable way.
I found the dialogue extremely refreshing. Being Afrikaans speaking myself, the dialogue hit home. And I could see myself having these conversations with my friends. It felt real and authentic.
But we warned, the dialogue might not sit well with your average Afrikaans tannie. Swear words and phrases like “tiete is on troosprys” slip into almost every conversation.
The actors that brought the dialogue to life, hit the nail on the head. Stand-out acting comes from cynical groomsman Lukas (Beer Adriaanse) and the runaway bride played by Mila Guy.
But the risks taken by director Johan Cronje doesn’t just end with the risky dialogue. The love -and party scenes are uninhibited and not for a conservative audience.
In the opening scenes we see a couple laying naked in the bed, and part-goers babbalas from too many tequila shots the night before.
The camerawork is exceptional. There is one shot that stood with me long after the credits rolled. A gorgeous wide-shot of a car parked in a field of sunflowers with the sun rising the background. The contrast of colours took my breath away. (Watch at 0.58 min in the trailer)
The rest of the movie is filled these beautiful scenic shots that compliment every aspect of the movie in the best way.
Expect some witty banter, and you might even find yourself thinking: “Hey, that’s me!”