Welcome to Part VII of Theatre in Film, our weekly feature on a film that depicts a life in the theatre. In Part VII, we examine films with biting humor, fantastical plots, and theatre family values. This week, we feature the 2009 film that celebrates a young girl’s unconventional quirks  — Phoebe in Wonderland.

Phoebe in Wonderland (2008)

Director: Daniel Barnz
Starring: Elle Fanning, Felicity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson, and Bill Pullman

What happens:

Nine year old Phoebe (Elle Fanning) has a disorder called Tourettes that causes her engage in impulsive speech and behavior at home and school. Her mother (Felicity Huffman) and father (Bill Pullman) attempt to deal with their own problems amid their struggles with their odd and unique daughter, and Phoebe’s sister (Bailee Madison) feels neglected, jealous of the attention that her sister gets.

When Phoebe sees a posting at school for a production of Alice in Wonderland, she signs up and is given a role by her quirky director, Miss Dodger (Patricia Clarkson). Phoebe lights up when she’s onstage, and her performance betrays a wiser and richer persona than Miss Dodger expects. But after Phoebe starts acting out during class, she is pulled from the show and her dreams of being lost in Wonderland are crushed. Her mother works with her and Miss Dodger to get her back in the play, but a series of events endangers her life and the safety of others until she is finally forced to openly accept her disorder along with her uniqueness she once feared.

Why it matters:

Phoebe seemingly can’t catch a break, especially from herself. Her mother denies that she has a problem, which confuses Phoebe into thinking her Tourettes isn’t a big deal, and when she is reprimanded at school for her behavior, she can’t understand the consequences she must face. When Tommy bullies her about her condition, she can’t answer his question with a sufficient reply, resorting to metaphors to explain her behavior.

Sometimes when performers and technicians (artists in general) are young, they think that they are unworthy of love, either because they act in an unusual way or they say things that don’t necessarily align with “normal” ideologies. It is in art that the weird, unique, abnormal, strange, and mysterious flourishes, and the unconventional is beautiful instead of becoming beautiful. Phoebe, discovering her personal artistic preference, finds that her solace lies in performance — her quirks disappear and she is better able to manage her unconventional behavior.

Phoebe is not unlike every thespian who enters the auditorium for the first time. She doesn’t know what she’s getting into, but it’ll ultimately provide her with a serenity she never knew she could experience.

This film is the fifth film in Part VII. See below for the other films in Part VII.

• Synecdoche, New York (2008)
• Hamlet 2 (2008)
• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2008)
• Don’t Think Twice (2016)

Want to start with Part I? Begin with 42nd Street (1933).
Miss Part II? Check out The Band Wagon (1953).
Need a refresh for Part III? Start with our feature on All That Jazz (1979).
How about a recap from Part IV? Jump into A Chorus of Disapproval (1989).
Check out Part V, and start with An Awfully Big Adventure (1995).
Start reading Part VI with Camp (2003).