Wonderland

A film that takes place over one weekend in London. There are three sisters. Nadia works in a café; she arranges dates through newspaper advertisements and is disappointed every time. Debbie is a hairdresser raising a child alone and dealing with her former husband. Molly is pregnant and near her time; her husband has not told her he has left his job. The parents live in the same house and have not spoken for years. There is also a missing brother; nobody mentions him. The narrative moves among these people over two days. There is no great event: a birthday, a football match, a crowd, a hospital and a firework display. The form is striking. It was filmed in real streets without permits on small cameras; the crowds are not extras. There is grain in the image and some passages are speeded up. The music is by Michael Nyman and sets the emotional order; the sections laid over people walking in the city are the film's strongest. Gina McKee, Shirley Henderson, Molly Parker, Ian Hart and Jack Shepherd are in the cast. Michael Winterbottom directed. A strong production for anyone who likes films about cities and narratives of ordinary life. For a viewer looking for plot, the film builds no story; it watches a few days.