Finding Neverland

FINDING NEVERLAND, starring Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Dustin Hoffman and Julie Christie, is about the transformative power of imagination. Turn-of-the-century London is recreated in this magical story about real-life friendship between J.M. Barrie - author of Peter Pan - and the Llewelyn Davies family. The film imagines the circumstances and emotions behind the creation and evolution the of the Peter Pan story. Echoing the compelling themes of Peter Pan - the wonder of imagination, the nostalgia for childhood innocence and the importance of believing - the film is filled with rich imagery and fresh, magical moments.

Johnny Depp plays J.M. Barrie, the successful Scottish playwright, who is sorely in need of inspiration after his last theatrical production flops. He happens upon four charming boys and their recently widowed mother (Kate Winslet) in London’s Kensington Gardens. It is especially poignant to watch as he re-opens the heart and mind of one of the boys, Peter (phenomenally played by Freddie Highmore.) The film traverses fantasy and reality, melding the difficulties and heartbreak of adult life with the childlike innocence of a boy who never grows up.

As Barrie transforms sticks into swords, kites into enchanted fairies, and the Lleweyen Davies boys into the “The Lost Boys of Neverland,” the story of Peter Pan comes alive. Barrie’s producer, played by Dustin Hoffman, is worried that he has another flop on his hands. The staging is like nothing ever seen before, and even the actors are skeptical. Alas, there is a heart-rending twist of fate ahead for Barrie and the boys he loves. Fortunately, it takes us to Neverland, and to a deeper understanding of “just what it means to really believe”.

Director Marc Forster described the idea of “Neverland” on KPCC’s Talk of the City as “ultimately about the power of our imagination, the power of where we can go in moments of despair, or in moments where we need to be inspired. I think we all should carry Neverland within us. It is key for us to have a child within us, to have an imagination. I believe that when we really believe in that, the manifestation of our dreams is possible.”

Finding Neverland is available on DVD. miramax.com