‘Wendy’ Review: Dir. Benh Zeitlin (2021)

In 2012, filmmaker Benh Zeitlin burst onto the screen with his feature debut, Beasts of the Southern Wild. Mixing a tangible real-world aesthetic with touches of the fantastical, Zeitlin crafted an emotionally rich modern fable that went on to earn four Academy Award nominations, including two for Zeitlin as director and screenwriter. Many will have been eagerly anticipating what he would do next, and it has certainly taken its time to arrive. 

His second feature, Wendy, was first announced back in 2015 and went in front of cameras by 2017. It went on to have its premiere at Sundance in 2020 and has now arrived on UK shores, almost 10 years after he first made such a big splash. A second feature after such a lauded debut is pressure enough, but the time between projects has certainly increased curiosity over Zeitlin’s latest, no matter how dragged out its eventual release has gone on to be. 

Co-written with his sister Eliza Zeitlin, Wendy is a reimagining of JM Barrie’s classic Peter Pan tale, introducing us to the character of Wendy Darling (Devin France) living in the rural south with her mother (Shay Walker) and twin brothers James and Douglas (Gavin and Gage Naquin) above a railroad diner. Frightened by the realities of growing up, Wendy and her brothers sneak onto a passing train one night when a mysterious boy named Peter (Yashua Mack) taps on their window one night. Upon following him on a journey, the siblings arrive on a strange island where everything is not quite as it seems. 

Much of the beauty of Beasts of the Southern Wild came from its gentle layering of magic and fantasy on top of its believable depiction of a small community in the Louisiana bayou. In the case of Wendy, those more fantastical elements are played to a much broader register, with the layering of all its individual components never feeling as finessed or as lyrical as his previous film. Wendy is a much messier affair about the dilemma of growing up, but one which never manages to capture a child’s eye view of the world in as convincing a manner as Beasts. 

Part of that comes from an approach to the Peter Pan story that struggles to settle on a path. Many of the references to the original material and elements of fantasy often sit at odds with the rawer and scaled-back aesthetic. The narrative itself is a bumpy ride, moving from moments of joyful adventure to darkness and mystery as it soon becomes clear that this paradise where kids don’t age is not the paradise it initially appears to be. It can lead to a jarring sense of pace, particularly as the film tries to reconcile with its many threads and themes come the film’s final act, which ends up dragging itself out as it offers coda after coda after coda. 

The film’s young cast is also often difficult to connect with. An overly twee voiceover narration from Wendy constantly undermines some of the film’s more subtle imagery, and the kids are often left to simply run around and scream on screen, making them occasionally grating company. The dialogue as well often feels contrived, undermining any authenticity that the young cast is trying to bring to the proceedings. Emotionally, then, the film ends up lost at sea, struggling to move you as it goes for its next big swing. 

The Peter Pan story has always had great thematic potential when it comes to addressing anxieties over growing up and taking on the adult responsibilities of the world. But (much like the similarly age-focused beach-set movie from this year, Old) the film often stretches too far beyond its own reach, leading to a frustrating experience full of potential that never quite comes to the fore. 

Where Zeitlin is in his partnerships with cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen and composer Dan Rohmer. Grøvlen, who previously shot the fantastic films Victoria and Another Round gives the film incredible texture, often playing with both natural and magical lighting to conjure images that resonate, even if the narrative particularly doesn’t. Rohmer, who also worked with Seitlin on Beasts, further cements his position as one of the great composers working today, with a score that brings a great deal of soul, energy and adventure-seeking personality to this take on Jm Barrie’s characters. 

It is hard not to come away feeling somewhat disappointed with Wendy, particularly after how much time has passed since Zeitlin delivered such an impressive debut. Wendy is undoubtedly a well-intentioned attempt at re-dressing a classic story, but the narrative and performances often keep this version from taking flight.