This is visually realized in the film’s climactic sequence. When Sylvia is bedridden and slipping away, Barrie brings the play to her. He transforms the mundane bedroom into the deck of a pirate ship. Curtains become sails; the window becomes a portal to the stars. He makes her a child again, if only for a moment. The message is radical: Finding Neverland suggests that pretending is not a lie. It is a rehearsal for reality. By playing at Neverland, the boys learn how to survive the real tragedy waiting for them.
James Matthew Barrie, born in 1860 in Kirriemuir, Scotland, was a writer with a passion for storytelling. He began his career as a journalist and playwright, but it wasn't until he met Peter Llewelyn Davies that his most iconic creation, Peter Pan, would come to life. Finding Neverland