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Nov 25, 2024 By Scott Howard Web Exclusive

Elijah Wood returns to New Zealand in Ant Timpson’s whimsical take on the budding relationship between an absentee father and his brutal realist daughter. Bookworm maintains a unique and distinctive vision, taking its audience on a fairytale-like adventure where the sum of its parts is effortlessly carried by the performance of its two leads.

Mildred (Nell Fisher) is a world-weary, exceedingly well-read child with an incredibly sharp wit. Just as in a fairytale, an unforeseen accident falls upon her mother, leaving her at the mercy of fate and her absentee, washed-up, self-described “illusionist” father, Strawn Wise, played with all of the light-hearted, doe-eyed appeal that Elijah Wood can muster. Strawn inserts himself into Mildred’s life with his boisterous personality and magic tricks that fail to impress Mildred, who can see right through them.

Strawn and Mildred are a delightful inversion of the stereotypical world-hardened father and his naive child. Wood still embraces his character’s wide-eyed view of magic in the world to the chagrin of Mildred after being raised by a struggling single mother. Ever the grown-up looking after the adults in her life, Mildred is in pursuit of New Zealand’s very own Bigfoot, the Canterbury Panther, for the financial reward that promises to save her mother from financial ruin—a quest the impulsive Strawn is ecstatic to participate in despite his lack of survivalist experience. Once the majestic New Zealand landscapes take center stage, the aspect ratio transforms, not unlike the first time audiences witnessed Dorothy’s technicolored arrival in Oz.

Over the course of this film’s 2-hour runtime, Timpson and screenwriter Toby Harvard weave a touch of cinematic magic into the story the characters inhabit with a stroke of creativity while wisely centering its time deconstructing the coming-of-age trope. Strawn, while presenting more as the child in this dynamic, has moments of failure and subsequent growth into a more paternal role for this young girl he barely knows. Conversely, when the plot raises the stakes, Fisher deftly unmasks her prickly exterior in moments of touching vulnerability exposing the child underneath. Fisher was a wise pick to play opposite Wood, arguably outshining her counterpart in her role. Choosing to highlight the chemistry of these two actors is the feature’s greatest strength.

Some truly witty dialogue and inventive cinematography elevate this film from the standard family night fare into something worth experiencing. While never diving as deep into the absentee parent subject matter as it could, the film shines with its particular brand of heart and quirkiness. Any filmgoer who takes a chance on this modern folktale is bound to have a smile on their face once the credits roll. (https://www.vert-ent.com/)

Author rating: 7.5/10