Whether you are big or small, you all know the legend of Peter Pan, this great Disney classic released in 1953 and which does not age with the years. Behn Zeitlin is inspired by this tale that rocked his childhood dreams and sets about the realization of Wendy. It's a much more modern version of Peter Pan's wonderful world story that will hit theaters on June 23, 2021.
Synopsis
Wendy, a little girl full of desires, has only one desire, to go on an adventure. Punctuated by a routine life, she invents every night crazy stories that she puts into image with drawings straight out of her mind. She wants to keep her child's soul forever and the idea of becoming like her mother, devoid of dreams, haunts her. One evening, challenged by a voice, she decides to flee and jumps out of the window to land on the roof of a moving train. Her twin brothers follow her and thus begins a great adventure guided by none other than Peter Pan himself. 
An air of recreation
Wanting to achieve a natural effect, Ben Zeitlin chose to shoot outdoors in Montserrat, a mountainous island in the West Indies. All the key elements of the film are real: the old boats, the volcano, the forest and even the whale. In order for the characters to accompany this authenticity, the director has set up wild castings. He went to schools, bookstores, public places around the world because he didn't want professionals. That's how he found Devin France and Yashua Mack to play the roles of Wendy and Peter Pan. Two incredible artistic revelations that manage to transmit strong emotions to us. Yashua Mack was spotted in Nyahbinghi Rastafari camp, located in the middle of the forest on the neighboring island of Antigua. He was only 5 years old at the time and bluffed the director with his recklessness. It needed a little boy who wasn't afraid to venture out, get dirty, and walk barefoot. That's when the film set turned into a real playground. All the children wanted to play, enjoy the forest, the sea and their freedom away from their parents. It was actually a bit like a summer camp. 
Aging, a real anxiety
It is the story of a quest, that of Wendy and her brothers. All 3 are afraid to grow up. To be a child is to have dreams, hope, to be carefree and optimistic about life. Unfortunately, the transition to adulthood is inevitable, so there is no point in fighting against it. We all end up forgetting to have fun, we get mature, we start to worry about everything and life becomes more complicated. Only a few exceptions are spared and their childlike souls endure. Some mature faster and begin to worry in spite of themselves. This is often due to tragic events that turn their lives upside down and destroy them like a sledgehammer. This film depicts the complexity of the transition between childish carelessness and adult awareness. No one knows when or why he is no longer a child. This moment is not necessarily visible physically, sometimes it is simply the spirit that perishes. 
A remix in tune with the times
In 1953, racial segregation was still in place in the United States and women's voices were not liberated. Therefore, the Peter Pan Disney version contains only white-skinned characters and Wendy represents only the mother figure of the time. This new version that was simply inspired by the tale is in no way a remake. Here, Peter Pan is black and Wendy is a fearless, reckless and independent girl. At a time when feminism is at its peak and the Black Lives Matter movement is in full swing, the film is in a way the mirror effect of time. It echoes current events and shows that it is possible to have both a person of color and a young woman at the top of the poster. Wendy is a modern film that has adapted to the current social context. It shows that it is adults who make polemics. Indeed, when you are a child, boy or girl, white or black, we can all have fun there is no difference. The question was never raised in the film, the children all agree as obvious. The only limit being everyone's imagination. See you on June 23, 2021 to discover his children happy to live and full of tenderness.
