Phoebe in Wonderland

''Phoebe in Wonderland'' is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Daniel Barnz. It stars Felicity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson, Elle Fanning (in her first leading role), Campbell Scott, and Bill Pullman.

It was screened in the Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival and the RiverRun International Film Festival in 2008. The film received a limited theatrical release on March 6, 2009.

Plot

Nine-year-old Phoebe Lichten has Tourette syndrome and obsessive–compulsive disorder. She thrives with her family at home, but struggles in school. Her mother, Hillary, and father, Peter, misinterpret Phoebe and her younger sister, Olivia, as child prodigies; Phoebe's mother, an author, pretentiously remarks that her daughters' poetry is reminiscent of E. E. Cummings. Phoebe tries to fit in with the other kids at school, befriending an effeminate boy named Jamie who is frequently bullied, but teasing on the playground leads to an incident where Phoebe spits at another student's face.

Phoebe's parents dismiss the spitting incident after they are called into the principal's office. They take Phoebe and Olivia to watch a live performance of the ballet ''Swan Lake'', where Phoebe becomes entranced by the fashion and music. She also takes an interest in her school's eccentric drama teacher, Miss Dodger, whom the other teachers regard with disdain. Phoebe seeks a role in Miss Dodger's school play, ''Alice In Wonderland''. Miss Dodger initially dismisses her for her lateness, but becomes more accepting after learning that Phoebe has compulsive hand-washing rituals. Phoebe flourishes on stage, but her impulsive speech and behaviour persist off-stage. Convinced that she will be "fired" if she does not get her patterns and lines exactly right, Phoebe spends hours at home jumping off the stairs until she bruises her ankles, while using her afternoons to step on every cobblestone in her household garden in the right order. Olivia tries to copy Phoebe's meticulous patterns.

As she becomes more invested in the play, Phoebe begins to envision imaginary friends, particularly Alice herself. Her parents hire a therapist for her, but after he proposes medication, Hillary fires him. When the principal questions if Phoebe behaves oddly outside of the classroom, Hillary denies it even though she has many times witnessed her daughter's self-destructive rituals at home. Phoebe becomes an increasing embarrassment to Olivia, particularly after calling an obese woman a "fat pig" while trick-or-treating on Halloween. When Phoebe is taken out of the play due to her classroom behaviour, her dreams are shattered. Hillary, desperate to help her daughter feel normal, works with Miss Dodger to bring Phoebe back on stage.

Phoebe is falsely accused by bullies of murdering the class pet, "Carlita", a gerbil, and she spits at them. Meanwhile, Jamie, who won the female part of the Red Queen, has his costume vandalized with a homophobic slur spray-painted on it ("fagot sic_.html"_;"title="sic.html"_;"title="sic">sic_">sic.html"_;"title="sic">sic_),_and_Phoebe_holds_his_hand_in_a_supportive_gesture._Hillary_meets_Miss_Dodger_for_the_first_time,_and_is_stunned_when_the_teacher_claims_that_Phoebe_exhibits_no_inappropriate_behaviors_or_patterns_during_the_play_rehearsals._At_the_same_time,_she_feels_envious_that_Phoebe_gets_along_better_with_a_teacher_than_with_her_own_mother._Seeming_to_reconcile_with_Olivia_at_home,_both_daughters_cheerfully_run_around_the_house_and_play_together,_failing_to_notice_how_stressed_Peter_is_by_Phoebe's_latent_mental_problems._The_girls_repeatedly_shout_that_they_"want_babies!"_(a_new_younger_sibling_to_play_with),_and_Peter_quips_that_he_couldn't_handle_another_child_if_it_turned_out_like_Phoebe,_hurting_her_feelings.

Although_Phoebe_is_put_back_into_the_play,_her_challenges_continue_as_she_is_driven_to_behaviour_she_doesn't_understand._She_talks_with_Miss_Dodger_about_her_behaviour,_and_Miss_Dodger_suggests_that_as_she_grows_older,_she'll_one_day_learn_to_admire_herself_for_who_she_is_rather_than_who_the_world_wants_her_to_be._After_seeing_her_imaginary_friend_Alice_again,_Phoebe_breaks_her_wrist_jumping_off_the_catwalk_onto_the_stage,_and_Miss_Dodger_is_fired_when_the_principal_suspects_that_she_may_have_prompted_Phoebe's_act._Feeling_betrayed_by_Miss_Dodger's_absence,_Phoebe's_fellow_actors_descend_into_chaos,_smashing_the_sets_they_built,_but_Phoebe_alone_clings_to_a_sense_of_purpose._She_urges_her_classmates_to_continue_their_rehearsals_on_their_own._Hillary,_who_has_resisted_efforts_to_label_Phoebe,_tells_Phoebe_that_she_has_Tourette_syndrome_

Tourette_syndrome_or_Tourette's_syndrome_(abbreviated_as_TS_or_Tourette's)_is_a_common_neurodevelopmental_disorder_that_begins_in_childhood_or_adolescence._It_is_characterized_by_multiple_movement_(motor)__tics_and_at_least_one_vocal_(phonic)_...