In general I like Todd Haynes work but like many of his previous projects I found Wonderstruck to be much stronger visually than was my emotional connection with the story and it's characters. Unfortunately for me this gap was far greater than it was for say, Far From Heaven. I really appreciate the subject matter and focusing on childhood, growing up, memories, and looking back, but at the end I didn't take much away from the film and don't suspect it will stay with me for very long.

WonderstruckA genuinely moving throwback to all those early silent features that used to endorse humanity in the most innocent and subtle way possible with a keen sense of awareness on installing touching details about its pragmatic characters and the eerie bubble that it resides in. Todd Haynes's brilliant execution skills factors in its favor but the real gem in here is Brian Selznick's smart adaptation for the screen. Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams are good supporters to these brilliant young actors i.e. Oakes Fegley and Millicent Simmonds (her portrayal overpowers everyone on screen). Wonderstruck walks on two different lines set in its own palpable tone where even though "the 1977" part has more material to feed, "the 1927" one steals the show for its poetic nature that draws out the best emotion from the screen.

THIS WAS VERY CONFUSING FOR ME. I DIDN'T CATCH THAT THEY WERE SEPARATED BY TIME UNTIL I WAS HALFWAY THOUGH THE MOVIE THEN I CAUGHT ON.

One of those coming-of-age movies where you're supposed to be short of breath and gasping at the Big Reveals. I was gasping from the urge not to vomit. Ben, a precocious youngster (they're all precocious youngsters, ain't they?) embarks on a journey by himself to find his father because his mother won't tell him who his father is. Why? Who knows? There's absolutely no reason presented as to why the identity of the father must remain this big dark secret. Indeed, the father turns out to be quite a good guy. What the hell, Mom? Can't ask her because, you see, she died, carrying her incomprehensible and downright cruel reasons to the grave. So Ben has to move in with his aunt, who lives in a house right next door to his house, both on the same plot of land, apparently, and his house is bigger than the aunt's so why didn't they all just switch over? Got me. I guess it wouldn't advance the proposition that Ben is Cruelly Treated by his Aunt and cousin, necessitating the whole running-away-to-find-my-father shtick. As if that wasn't bad enough, superimposed over all this is a black-and-white sub-story involving Rose, a deaf girl who runs away to...well, we're not really sure. Visit the museum where her brother works, I guess. See, Rose is also cruelly treated because her Dad doesn't think 12-year-old deaf girls should run around New York City alone. And, get this, he wants her to learn sign language (why doesn't she already know sign language?)! Yeah, cruel bastard, he. Oh, yes, Ben loses his hearing during a lightening strike, so I guess that connects the two stories even though there's no reason why these two stories even relate...well, there is, but you don't know that until waaaay later, long after you've lost interest. Oh yeah, the 1977 New York City blackout's involved, too. What a godawful YA mess this movie is. I'd kick out my screen before watching it again