Fable

Rating: 8/10 (30 January 2005)

Fable
"Children should never be made to go to bedthey wake up a day older". This statement by James Matthew Barrie, creator of 'Peter Pan, Or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up', in director Marc Forster's moving and reassuring fable, 'Finding Neverland', captures the quintessence of the film. Based on the original play, 'The Man Who Was Peter Pan' by Allan Knee, this cinematic adaptation has at its core a very simple but true message- if only we believe, we can preserve our innocence(and in the world we live, that is the single most difficult thing to preserve).
J.M. Barrie(Johnny Depp), coming out from a theatrical disaster(his recent play has been lambasted by the critics), meets the Davies boys in a summer that would lead to his creation of Peter Pan. Barrie, himself never having lived his own childhood(his brother died when Barrie was a child, and his mother called him by his brother's name to fill her void), finds in the boys a purity that enthralls him to an extent where it begins to feed the artist and the locked up child within him. Barrie starts to frequent the Davies household causing much uproar, albeit hushed, in the Victorian circles. Both, his relationship with Sylvia Davies(Kate Winslet)- the widowed mother of the children, and his intent behind spending afternoons with young kids are questioned. But to Barrie, this is an opportunity to imagine as he has never done before and perhaps also, a chance to repair. A chance to repair the childhood that he had lost by infusing it in Peter Davies(Freddie Highmore), a boy who seems to have grown up too soon. Barrie creates a world of wonder around the boys by weaving imagination and we can see his next play taking shape. And in Barrie's imagination(as he must've preferred in reality), Peter transforms into Peter Pan- the boy who wouldn't grow up!
Johnny Depp is a rare actor who doesn't allow his good looks to limit his acting range. His performance as Barrie is near perfect. Watch how his closeness to Sylvya never translates into attraction. Similarly, notice his coldness when in the company of his wife, Mary(Radha Mitchell), and the merry glint in his eyes when with the children. Depp's performance is worthy of his Oscar nomination. Kate Winslet excels as the ailing widow, but we have come to expect good performances from her. Radha Mitchell is a revelation in her small part and Dustin Hoffman adds his own style of dry wit in a small role as Charles Frohman- Barrie's impresario. But the standout performance is by Freddie Highmore as Peter- the boy who inspired Peter Pan. Freddie performs remarkably and tugs at your heart every time he speaks. The emotional array that this kid covers is unbelievable, and his is-without a doubt- one of the best child performances in years.
David Magee, the man behind the screen adaptation, keeps his screenplay fluid and uncomplicated. He knows that this is not a biopic. Thus, taking liberties, he uses the prospect to tell a magical tale where all you need is imagination. As Frohman points out in the movie, "The critics have made it importantbut what is it? What?...It is a play!" Sometimes all we need is a little imagination. No waitthat is all we need! And the boy shall never grow!

Abhishek Bandekar

Note- 'Finding Neverland' is nominated in seven categories at this year's Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor(Johnny Depp) and Best Adapted Screenplay(David Magee).
Rating- ****
* Poor ** Average *** Good **** Very Good ***** Excellent
30th January, 2005