Narrowly escaping unscathed by all of the Don’t Worry Darling drama, this month everyone’s favourite Aperol Spritz fan Florence Pugh quietly gives one of the best performances of the year in The Wonder. Adapted from Emma Donoghue’s 2016 novel and set against the backdrop of post-Great Famine Ireland in 1862, she plays English nurse Lib Wright who is summoned to a secluded village to observe a bizarre local phenomenon: a 11-year-old girl who has not eaten in four months. Miracle or hoax? Scientific anomaly or a biblical sign? These are the questions that Lib must grapple with as she struggles to comprehend the strange inhabitants and questionable beliefs of the unwelcoming community. 

“The Wonder is far from your typical period drama, with fourth-wall breaks and an unusual framing device that makes you question what you’re actually witnessing,” says Stylist contributor Jessica Cullen. “It’s an interesting approach that presents a simple tale as something more introspective. But even if you stripped that element away, it would still be a haunting piece of work that channels Pugh’s most reflective and precise performance of her career to date. The film is transcendental in essence, backed by stunningly desolate visuals and a sinister score, all of which almost pushes it into horror territory – don’t be surprised if its 12 nominations at the British Independent Film Awards are just the beginning.” In cinemas and on Netflix now