Phoebe in Wonderland(2009)- User Reviews

Phoebe in Wonderland is a suggestion from Leonard Maltin’s “150 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen” list. It’s about a 10-year-old girl who has some behavioral problems and how she uses fantasy to deal with them. Even more so, it is about how her mental illness affects the people around her, from her classmates and teachers to her parents and sister. On another level it is about labeling children and how it helps everyone involved deal with the problems or how it damages the situation.

The relationship between Phoebe and her mother is central to the movie. I thought the mother, played by Felicity Huffman, was realistic and I could identify with the conflicts she feels. Phoebe is a difficult child but she is creative and loving and trying very hard to control the impulses she has. Her mother loves Phoebe and her sister and is trying very hard to be a good mom, as she tries to spend enough time with the kids and still have to me to finish her dissertation. Any mom who has tried to work at home would identify with that. Now add a child who is acting up at school and having some disturbing behaviors and a sibling who feels left out and starved for attention and you get a scenario that is played out in thousands of homes every day.

Phoebe is seeing a psychiatrist, who means well but seems somewhat ineffective. When he wants to put Phoebe on medication, her mom disagrees and starts looking for another professional. I could also relate to that – the medication might “fix” the problem but what will be lost in the process? How much is the negative behavior wrapped up in what makes my child special and wonderful? But if my child is in pain, how can I not help her? On top of that, what if the problem is my fault for not giving enough attention or too much or being too absorbed in my own problems? I think the movie explores all of these conflicts in a very realistic way and I love how the mom appreciates Phoebe’s positive creative energy.

Dad is also trying very hard but he doesn’t really understand. He is in “fixing” mode and sees the issue as much more black and white than mom does. His objectivity is frustrating to Mom but also stabilizing in the family. Phoebe’s little sister loves her but she resents Phoebe getting more attention and both Mom and Phoebe relying on her to be more grown up than she should be.

Then we go to school. There are a lot of rules at school and that is shown in an almost satirical way. I love the opening scene where the children are taught not to ask questions until it is time to ask questions. Phoebe raises her hand and asks when is the time to ask questions? She is rebuked because she asked a question when it wasn’t time for questions. This is a very “Alice in Wonderland” type of circular argument and it sets the theme for the whole movie.

You see, Phoebe retreats into Wonderland when things get stressful. She ends up with the lead in the school’s production of the play and when she is working on the play she is relaxed and doesn’t have any symptoms of her mental illness. Her mother’s dissertation is on “Alice” and even before the play, the world of Wonderland is important to Phoebe. During the course of the movie, characters from Wonderland speak directly to Phoebe, helping he solve problems. I don’t think the fantasy world is supposed to be a symptom of her mental illness but rather a retreat from all the things she can’t control. At one point, she tells the Psychiatrist that she like Wonderland because “things aren’t so fixed there.”

The other kids at school don’t understand Phoebe. They think she is strange and taunt her and then get scared when she reacts by screaming or spitting. She has one friend who appreciates her, a boy who is different in his own way but more confident with who he is. Her teacher tries, but also has a roomful of other students to deal with and we can’t be acting like that of course. The principal is even worse, a caricature and unworthy of the rest of the films’ realness.

Then there is Miss Dodger. She truly appreciates Phoebe and befriends her. Miss Dodger is a bit odd herself and the other teachers and the principal are uncomfortable with her. She lets the children take the lead in how the play will be done and doesn’t give in to politics (“I always get the lead.”) or political correctness (by allowing a boy to play the Red Queen). She empowers all the children.

This is a movie I won’t soon forget. It shows the complexities of being a parent, of being anyone who has a hand in helping children grow up understanding who they are. I would recommend it for parents, for kids to watch with their parents, for teachers.