Students Preview Soon-to-be-Released Film Wonder

Produced by Pepper Pike native and Hawken alumnus Todd Lieberman '91, one of today’s leading movie producers and co-owner of Mandeville Films and Television, Wonder stars Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson and is due to be released to the public on November 17. The film tells the heartwarming, inspirational story of a young boy’s struggle and triumph with a facial deformity as he is mainstreamed into the school system for the first time. The movie’s trailer features the hashtag #choosekind, which resonates particularly well with Hawken’s commitment to and emphasis on character and Fair Play.

 

Following the screening, Lieberman remained on campus for a Q and A session with Upper School students, and selected Upper School students were charged with leading discussions in small groups with Lower and Middle School students. Jane Wiertel ’18, one of the group facilitators, was struck by the students’ eagerness to share their own personal struggles with hurt and prejudice. She shared her group’s main takeaway from the film: “Together we concluded that the main goal of the film was to help the world to choose kindness. If even just one person chooses to be kind, it can cause a 'domino effect,' and soon everyone will be choosing to be kind.”

 

Lieberman himself has acknowledged that one of the reasons he finds storytelling so compelling is its ability to engender empathy, and all who attended this screening of Wonder would agree that this film clearly accomplishes that.