Wonder: Stephen Chbosky’s almost aggressively upbeat film is, essentially, a modern-day fairy-tale. There is not much subtlety to it, but it nevertheless is very touching, and its theme resonates. A big part of its success is the performance of Jacob Tremblay; acting though the (very well done) make-up, his voice projects the energy and intelligence of the character; his castmate Noah Jupe is also very convincing; out of the grown-ups, it’s Julia Roberts that is given more to do and she delivers quite well. Technically, the film has a shiny but indifferent efficiency: cinematographer Don Burgess gives it a luster and cleanliness that are almost in the realm of magic; Mark Livolsi’s editing smartly weaves little touches of the supporting characters’ point of views (always keeping to the same theme), which enriches the whole.