Wonder - We are all the same... but different 

For this year's "Educazione Civica" school project, we talked about the theme of diversity and inclusivity, and we watched "Wonder", an exciting, light, moving and at the same time powerful film about these topics.

The day we watched it, we made a sort of social experiment, guided by our English teacher: we went to school wearing strange clothes and accessories (such as masks, unusual shirts, odd gloves, funny hats, ribbons, children’s clothes, and so on). In this way, we learnt to look at reality in a different way, because we accepted each other's oddities, and we had fun without judging each other, which is also the main message of the film.

The story is based on the book by R.J Palacio, and the film is directed by Stephen Chbosky. It was produced in the U.S.A., the original version is in English, and it was released in 2017. It is a dramatic film, but with some elements of comedy and humour.

August "Auggie" Pullman (Jacob Tremblay) is a brilliant, likeable and sweet 11-year-old boy with a facial deformation that has forced him to undergo a series of surgeries since he was born, to try and live a normal life. Auggie feels uncomfortable because of this condition and has never attended school: his mother Isabel (Julia Roberts) has been his private teacher ever since he was a kid. When he decides to start school, he is afraid of being judged and rejected because of his looks. Auggie, indeed, usually wears an astronaut's helmet, which makes him feel protected and sheltered. "If you don't like where you are, imagine where you want to be" is what his mother tells him before he enters the building for the first time. However, people are almost scared by his face, and he is bullied especially by Julian, a boy who seems nice to him, but only at the beginning. He will soon make fun of his aspect. The story talks about Via, too, Auggie’s big sister, and we can see her point of view: she feels like her parents don’t even notice her because of Auggie, but she still loves her little brother.

In the course of the film, faced with various obstacles, Auggie will be able to show everyone his great courage and convince the others to look at reality with different eyes. “If you don't like what you see, change your way of looking", says Auggie, and he is right: only by questioning ourselves and by respecting others will we be able to live in a world full of possibilities and beauty, because in the end, we are all different, but all the same.

This film tells us about the importance of inner beauty rather than physical appearance: it is in our hearts and minds that our uniqueness and our most beautiful thoughts reside, provided that they are free from preconceptions and prejudices, and filled with kindness and empathy. We believe that this is a very important message to share, especially in nowadays’ society, where there is a strong need to feel accepted and loved the way we are, with our own unique and special features, and to feel as if we were all part of one big family.

Classe I BL ord.

Disegni di Denise Cantone I BL