My Thoughts on The Wonder (Netflix)
Spoiler Alert
I found this film fascinating.
“In, out, in, out.”
Which side am I standing on?
At the beginning of The Wonder, we hear the line, “We are nothing without stories.” The film ends with the same rhythm—“In, out, in, out.”
In this context, “story” represents faith or belief. Each person lives within their own story, sustained by it, and sometimes dies because of it.
The film questions how a person outside a story can relate to those who live inside one. That, I think, is what The Wonder is truly about.
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Faith and the Value of Life
Anna lives, suffers, repents, and seeks salvation within the story shared by her family.
Elizabeth, the nurse who comes from outside, cannot accept that story. Her conviction is clear when she says, “To let her die when she could be saved would be a terrible act.”
For Elizabeth, to save Anna means not spiritual salvation, but preventing her physical death in this world.
Elizabeth finds greater value in being alive than in spiritual redemption.
I share that view.
Because we are alive, we can regret, reflect, start over, and do good again. That, to me, is the meaning of living.
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When Faith Becomes the Story
I know there are people who truly need a story to live.
In Japan today, news and talk shows are filled with discussions about the Unification Church.
When those who struggle in life find their story through religion, I hope it’s not one like Anna’s family’s story—where dying within faith is seen as honor or peace.
To be clear, I am not speaking of those who pass away naturally, comforted by faith at the end of life.
What I want to say is this:
For people in vulnerable positions—like Anna, a child who deep down wants to live—I don’t want them to become sacrifices to someone else’s story.
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Inside and Outside the Story
If someone has already entered their story—if they are truly in—can we even call them a victim?
Anna, deeply immersed in her faith, believes that choosing death will save her brother, her family, and herself.
Once a person is “in,” the choice to step “out” rarely appears. And helping someone move “out” is even more difficult.
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A Brilliant Moment
The moment I found truly brilliant was when Elizabeth used Anna’s own story to bring her back to life.
Anna remains in her story, yet she is reborn as Nan.
In this way, Anna fulfills her faith, dies within it, and is reborn through its power. Her story, therefore, does not collapse—it transforms.
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Faith as a Personal Realm
If we see faith as a story, it becomes something sacred—something deeply personal.
Faith concerns the question of what it means to live, and it cannot be easily labeled as good or bad.
It should neither be imposed on others nor rejected by force. Each person has their own boundary.
Still, if we are to live by a story, I hope it is one that does not make us anxious, or bring unhappiness to those around us.
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A Hope for Nan
It’s painful to watch a child cry or suffer, even in a movie.
That’s why I was relieved to imagine that Nan, reborn in a new land, might finally live a happy life.
