Jon Favreau did it at the beginning of The Jungle Book, and now Ava DuVernay did the same thing in the beginning of A Wrinkle in Time. They both spoke about the books, and what it meant for them to make their respective films. I really love it when directors talk at the beginning of a film, especially when it comes to an adaption of a children’s book. There are so many emotions and memories attached to the story, that when directors share their personal experiences, you feel more connected. It makes you feel like the director knows exactly how you feel about the story. So in my book Ava DuVernay scored very high even before the actual film started rolling.
Last year, we chose A Wrinkle in Time for my daughter’s book club, because we knew that the movie was going to be out sometime this year, and I wanted the girls to read the book before the film released. A Wrinkle in Time is a coming of age story of Meg Murray, who is in search of her father, and her ultimate fight against darkness to save her family. Needless to say all the girls in the book club loved the book very much and couldn’t wait to watch the film on the big screen. One of the reasons they loved the book so much, is because they all related to Meg Murray in some way or the other.
While the film was unable to create the same magic that the book did, it was still a great adaptation. With stunning visuals and a great star cast, the film was engaging from the very beginning. Everyone from Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Chris Pine, Levi Miller to Deric McCabe played their characters to perfection, making the film well worth a watch.
A Wrinkle in Time is strictly a children’s film, as it should rightly be. Ava did not even try to make the film appeal to the adult audience. It was wonderful watching a film, without the children ever having to cringe or feel uncomfortable for even a minute. My daughter and her friends, are still at an age where they cover their eyes, when a kissing scene pops up on screen. So it was kind of fun watching them raising their hands to cover their eyes, and then sigh a relief, the couple of times that Mr. & Mrs. Murray or Meg and Calvin came close to each other, but instead of kissing, ended up hugging each other. The film was genuinely made for the children, and the five ten-year-olds that I watched the movie with, loved every minute of it. As someone who leads the book club for the girls, it was very easy for me to relate to the film, just the way they all did. The endless discussions I had with my daughter after watching the film, made the whole experience even more special.
A Wrinkle in Time is without a doubt a special film, that teaches us the importance of love, family, self-respect, faith and perseverance.
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