After her mother is injured in an unfortunate toaster-related accident, the life of 11-year-old Mildred (Nell Fisher) is turned upside down. With mum in an induced coma, Mildred embarks upon an ambitious camping trip with her estranged father, a once-famous magician… sorry, illusionist… Strawn Wise (Elijah Wood). There, they hope to find the elusive Canterbury Panther and, with it, the jackpot.
To address the elephant in the room, yes, it’s a bit like 2016’s Hunt For the Wilderpeople. A family adventure set in New Zealand with a mismatched child and their father figure (in this case, a biological one), getting into comedic scrapes in the wilderness. However, this whimsical coming-of-age film by director Ant Timpson (who previously worked with Wood on 2019’s Come to Daddy) has more than enough merits of its own.
Elijah Wood’s, ridiculous hat aside, Blookworm is more grounded than first appearances might suggest – and unafraid to ramp the stakes up where appropriate. Its own take on the Wilderpeople formula turns the central relationship on its head, making Dad the good-natured, chaotic one and Mildred the grump. Nell Fisher impressed in last year’s Evil Dead Rise, and continues to do so here, tip-toeing a fine line between precocious and precious. The chemistry between Wood and Fisher is a joy – her bookish sense of self-determination offset by his more childlike demeanour. It’s another winning performance from the Lord of the Rings star, and one which is very generous to his young co-star. If all that sounds a little too sickly sweet, worry not – an unhinged Michael Smiley has you covered, along with Vanessa Stacey as his sinister partner in crime.
Bookworm is a charming coming-of-age comedy featuring a star-making performance from its young talent, and comfortably eccentric ones from its elders. While it may seem like a trip through familiar territory (and Wood is no stranger to sloughing it though the New Zealand hills), it’s a zesty, heartfelt family adventure with a surprising sense of peril to its otherwise wacky antics.
BOOKWORM premiered at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest on August 23rd, 2024.
