BOOKWORM Review – Fantastic Fest 2024

Ant Timpson comes back swinging for the fences with his charming and adventurous sophomore feature “Bookworm”.

Synopsis

Mildred’s life is turned upside down when her mother lands in hospital and his father, Strawn Wise, comes to look after her. Strawn takes Mildred camping in the rugged New Zealand wilderness and the pair embark on the ultimate test of family bonding.

Review
Kicking off my coverage at Fantastic Fest is a film that surprised me in its execution and in its…existence. If you told me to guess what the next feature would be for Ant Timpson, the New Zealand director behind the demented and hilarious 2019 film “Come to Daddy”, I would never guess a family adventure film about an estranged father and daughter on the hunt for a mythological creature. “Bookworm” begins with Mildred (played by newcomer Nell Fisher), a smart 11-year-old girl that is obsessed with catching footage of the elusive Canterbury panther. When her mom ends up in a coma from an accident in the kitchen, Mildred is met by Strawn (Elijah Wood, reuniting with Timpson from their previous collaboration in “Come to Daddy”), her estranged American father who is a magician. Together, Mildred and Strawn plan to go on a camping trip to catch footage of the panther, collect a hearty bounty for the footage and maybe even reconcile their relationship.

With any film that is concerning a parent and child getting to know each other and gain a type of relationship, you need two things for that film to be successful: great casting and chemistry. This film serves that with spades in the casting of Fisher and Wood. Selected from among 300 children who auditioned for the role, newcomer Nell Fisher is fantastic as Mildred. Her spunkyness matched with her terrific sarcastic delivery makes her an entertaining watch on screen. She matches perfectly well with Elijah Wood’s dumbfounded-but-means well Strawn. No stranger to carrying a relatable and gravitating presence on screen, Wood is right at home in the role of Strawn. Mirroring his hilarious, panicked turn in “Come to Daddy”, Wood delivers a relatable performance of a man that may not have always gotten things right in his life but is choosing not to miss the chance of finally being a father. The dynamic between Mildred and Shawn is fantastic and their dialogue with each other is hilarious. Tidbits between the two serve as memorable moments: Mildred staying unimpressed by her father’s magic tricks (he remains firm that he is an “illusionist” rather than a “magician”); the two sharing their love for “David Copperfield”, not knowing that Mildred is referring to Charles Dickens’ novel and Strawn is of course referring to the magician. The ways in which these two are vastly different is what makes them such a cute, stubborn pair. On the supporting side, we also have a hilarious turn from Michael Smiley (“Kill List”; “The Lobster”) as Jethro, a camper that Strawn and Mildred come across that may not have the best intentions.

When it comes to direction, Ant Timpson knocks it out of the park with the visuals. The gorgeous New Zealand landscape comes to life with an assist from cinematographer Daniel Katz. Timpson makes good use of his landscape, treating the vast beautiful mountains of New Zealand as a perfect backdrop for a father and daughter getting to know each other. It’s almost like watching a moving painting in some scenes. This construction is no more clear than in a scene where Strawn tells Mildred a bizarre, funny story of how he was shunned from the magician world. He tells this story at dusk with a small firelight between the two of them, with blue lighting on their faces. The lighting turns the scene from just a funny monologue to something melancholy and fresh. While the storyline of “Bookworm” may be a little thin, it doesn’t take away from the thrilling moments that Mildred and Strawn share and the terrific mic-drop ending that is sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face.

Closing Thoughts
“Bookworm” is the perfect mixed bag of adventure, comedy and a little drama that is made for a festival like Fantastic Fest. Sharing a parallel to his first feature “Come to Daddy” in which both films include a main character that is missing a connection with their father, maybe Timpson isn’t too far off the track with making this sophomore feature. With terrific acting, great adventure and sharp comedy, Bookworm has the potential to be a classic for all ages.

Trailer