Parents' Guide to

Chasing Wonders

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Intergenerational family drama has language, violence.

Movie NR 2021 86 minutes
Chasing Wonders Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

CHASING WONDERS follows 12-year-old Savino Farias (Michael Crisafulli), whose family originally hails from Spain but has been in Australia for half of his life. Savino's stern father, Felipe (Antonio De La Torre), and carefree young Uncle Goyo (Quim Gutiérrez) run a family vineyard -- just as they did in Spain -- and the family home/winery also includes Savino's mom, Adrianna (Paz Vega), her loving and eccentric parents, Luis (Edward James Olmos) and Maribel (Carmen Maura), and Goyo's free-spirited Aussie girlfriend, Janine (Jessica Marais). Grandpa Luis loves to encourage Savino's imagination and is a warm counterpoint to the strict, humorless Felipe. The movie takes place in two different time periods -- when Savino is 12 and later, when he's a 20-year-old man (Crisafulli shot those scenes five years after the Australia-set portions of the movie were filmes) visiting the ancestral vineyard in Spain, where he uncovers secrets about his family's past that shed a light on their past actions (which viewers witness in the Australian sections).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This well-acted, interestingly executed coming-of-age story explores issues of immigration, family trauma, and abuse. Despite the fact that the main character is a child, this isn't really a movie for young kids. There's too much mature content to keep the movie in the family friendly realm -- particularly when Felipe turns from severe to abusive -- but adult viewers will appreciate the strong relationship between grandparents and grandchildren. Olmos does a wonderful job as Savino's adoring grandfather, even though he doesn't have a Castilian accent when he speaks in English or Spanish like the other actors. And Maura, a legendary Spanish actor, is formidable as the grandmother. The cinematography is gorgeous both in Australia and Spain, but the most interesting part of the film is that, thanks to the five-year gap between shooting the two segments, Crisafulli plays Savino in both time periods.

Only Crisafulli is in the two portions of the story, but the Australian parts make up a much bigger percentage of the film. The titular wonder of Savino's childhood adventures is a bit undermined by the trauma and loss he experiences. Olmos' narration is also a bit cheesy at times, as is the dialogue. But there's an authenticity to the adults' interactions with one another, particularly the brothers, and a tenderness to how Savino internalizes what his grandfather Luis told him as a child and continues to dream, to search for answers, to explore not only as a child but as a young adult.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the amount of language and violence in Chasing Wonders. Does it change the way you perceive the story? Who would you say is the target audience?

  • Which characters do you consider role models? What character strengths do they display in the story, and why are they important?

  • Discuss your own family history with your kids. What's your background? How does it affect your current circumstances?

  • What does this quote mean: "Every child grows up thinking their father is either a hero or a villain until they realize he is just a man"? Why is it important in the movie?

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