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Director(s): Daniel Barnz Screenwriter(s): Daniel Barnz Executive Producers: Doug Dey, Chris Finazzo Producers: Lynette Howell, Ben Barnz Cinematographer: Bobby Bukowski Editor: Robert Hoffman Production Designer: Therese DePrez Composer: Christophe Beck |
Phoebe in Wonderland
Dramatic
U.S.A., 2007, 96 mins, Color
So much of what constitutes psychological inquiry in cinema is overly simplistic, boiling down the complexity of behavior to clichés. So it’s exceptionally gratifying, when dealing with subjects as difficult as parenting and growing up, to find as rich an inquiry as Daniel Barnz’s remarkable Phoebe in Wonderland.
This is at once a tale of Phoebe (Elle Fanning), a young girl who is different, and a portrait of her mother (Felicity Huffman), a woman caught between trying to raise a child and striving for success in an academic career, while feeling a failure in both. It also includes an unusually gifted, but peculiar, educator—a drama teacher (Patricia Clarkson), who is directing the school production of Alice in Wonderland, which Phoebe longs to be part of. As talented and exceptional as Phoebe appears to be, she is also increasingly far away, retreating into fantasy and frustrating her parents and teachers.
As an examination of normalcy and madness, this is realistic and cerebral storytelling, but it is also extravagantly magical, a metaphorical fable that examines childhood, our attempts to understand it, and the way we, as parents and teachers, navigate its treacherous shoals. A film full of strangeness, exhilarating moments of realization, and painfully real revelations, Phoebe in Wonderland is an honest and thoughtful work that is not to be missed.
This is at once a tale of Phoebe (Elle Fanning), a young girl who is different, and a portrait of her mother (Felicity Huffman), a woman caught between trying to raise a child and striving for success in an academic career, while feeling a failure in both. It also includes an unusually gifted, but peculiar, educator—a drama teacher (Patricia Clarkson), who is directing the school production of Alice in Wonderland, which Phoebe longs to be part of. As talented and exceptional as Phoebe appears to be, she is also increasingly far away, retreating into fantasy and frustrating her parents and teachers.
As an examination of normalcy and madness, this is realistic and cerebral storytelling, but it is also extravagantly magical, a metaphorical fable that examines childhood, our attempts to understand it, and the way we, as parents and teachers, navigate its treacherous shoals. A film full of strangeness, exhilarating moments of realization, and painfully real revelations, Phoebe in Wonderland is an honest and thoughtful work that is not to be missed.
Daniel Barnz - Philadelphia native Daniel Barnz received his BA from Yale University and, after many seasons at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, moved to Los Angeles to direct for the Actors’ Gang theatre company. He graduated from the MFA program at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, where he made several shorts, including Fat Boy and Gasp. Barnz also wrote and directed the award-winning short The Cutting Room. Phoebe in Wonderland is his feature directorial debut. He lives with his partner, Ben Barnz (a producer on Phoebe), and their two children in Los Feliz, California.
Screenings:
Sun. January 20, 2:30pm, Racquet Club, Park City
Mon. January 21, 11:30pm, Library Center Theatre, Park City
Tue. January 22, 6:30pm, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, SLC
Thu. January 24, 9:15am, Eccles Theatre, Park City
Fri. January 25, 8:30pm, Racquet Club, Park City
Sun. January 20, 2:30pm, Racquet Club, Park City
Mon. January 21, 11:30pm, Library Center Theatre, Park City
Tue. January 22, 6:30pm, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, SLC
Thu. January 24, 9:15am, Eccles Theatre, Park City
Fri. January 25, 8:30pm, Racquet Club, Park City
Lynette Howell
Silverwood Films
(323) 850-2783
lhowell@silverwoodfilms.com
Silverwood Films
(323) 850-2783
lhowell@silverwoodfilms.com
