Wendy

Director Benh Zeitlin's second feature after his Oscar-nominated debut Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) is another imaginative, naturalistic coming-of-age tale seen through the eyes of children. Loosely adapted from JM Barrie's Peter Pan, the film follows Wendy (Devin France) and her twin brothers, who hop onto a passing train in pursuit of Peter (Yashua Mack), leaving their home in a Louisiana diner behind. The basic plot of Barrie's paean to childhood then unfolds, but with significant differences (the crocodile is recast as a maternal marine creature) and omissions (Tinker Bell, Tiger Lily). Neverland is a volcanic island (played by Montserrat) where the eternal youth of Peter's world contrasts sharply with a nearby barren wasteland populated by decrepit grown-ups. The metaphors are sprinkled liberally like fairy dust, as childish imagination and joy clashes with the reality and bitterness wrought by old age. It's a visually rich picture but it meanders, too, although the left-field appearance of Pan's nemesis, Captain Hook, soon fires up the drama.