Some of the most compelling moments in , ’s mostly slushy adaptation of R.J. Palacio’s graphic novel of the same name, take place during flashbacks to the 1940s.
These are the recollections of an aging grandmother trying to teach her grandson lessons about kindness. They’re also stories of survival, and Forster, with DP Matthias Königswieser, films them in a way that avoids the trappings of sentimentality. In them, the German-Swiss helmer behind and more recently reaches for a specificity and a clear-eyed honesty that liberates parts of this young adult film from narrative contrivance.
Unfortunately, too much of the rest of Mark Bomback’s screenplay tends toward saccharine manipulation. functions as both a prequel and a sequel to , another Palacio work adapted for the big screen. That story followed Auggie Pullman, a 10-year-old boy with Treacher Collins syndrome who is tormented by kids at school, including the wealthy Julian (Bryce Gheisar).
This one opens a few years later with Julian, slightly older but still played by Gheisar, starting his first day at a new school. It’s an opportunity for Julian to remake himself and shed his unsavory past, and he’s decided the best course of action is to stay under the radar. When a classmate (Priya Ghotane) invites Julian to join the vaguely named Social Justice Club, the teenager, perpetually hidden under his hoodie, declines.
Later that evening, Julian explains his plan to his grandmother, Sara ( ), a sophisticated wom.