Official synopsis: Join Elijah Wood in this heartwarming comedy across New Zealand’s majestic landscapes. 11-year-old Mildred is wise beyond her years – an only child raised by a financially strapped solo Mum; she has escaped her humdrum suburban existence by immersing herself into literary adventures. Her long-dreamed quest is to capture proof that the mythological beast known as The Canterbury Panther exists. When an accident occurs leaving Mildred’s mum in hospital, her one-time fling Strawn Wise and once semi-famous American illusionist, flies down to New Zealand to look after a daughter he’s never met. The unlikely pair agree to go camping while Mum recuperates. Unbeknownst to the unlikely duo is what lies ahead; from treacherous encounters that will test their mettle, alongside a bitter divide between a hurt daughter angry at her long absent father. And through it all, a primal entity watches the duos every move, a deadly beast that may just be the solution to all their woes. Starring Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the King), Michael Smiley (Free Fire) and Nell Fisher (Evil Dead Rise), Bookworm is written by Toby Harvard (The Greasy Strangler) and directed by Ant Timpson (Come to Daddy).
Could Timpson’s Bookworm (New Zealand, 2024) join the ranks of such beloved cult family films as The Princess Bride (U.S., 1987) and The Goonies (U.S., 1985)? It certainly has the charm, sense of adventure, and heartwarming family drama to be considered in the conversation.
Viewers who have a hard time suffering precocious kids in movies will find Mildred (Fisher) quite the challenge. She’s exactly what the film’s title promises, and is truly wise beyond her young, preteen years. She’s also a sarcastic know-it-all when it comes to her relationships with her parents. When her mother suffers a medical emergency and is hospitalized long term, her absentee father Strawn Wise (Wood) travels from his native United States to Mildred’s native New Zealand — Mildred is the result of an impulsive tryst during a Las Vegas vacation — to take care of her. A classic case of being both a man-child and an “almost was,” Wise is an illusionist — he bristles at the term “magician” — who feels he was cheated out of a shot at the big time.
A city guy with a vivid imagination but little knowledge of what happens outside city limits, Strawn accompanies Mildred on her quest to earn a large sum of money by being the first person to provide video evidence of local cryptid The Canterbury Panther, an alien big cat. It is during this adventure through the New Zealand wild that Mildred and Strawn must work out their differences and try to come to terms with their relationship — though dangers other than the possibility of a legendary big cat await them in that remote area.
The focus on the fractured relationship between Mildred and Strawn drive Bookworm, and both Fisher and Wood provide engaging performances and a strong dynamic that keep viewers invested. They learn much about each other during their journey, and their paths — both physical and emotional — are never easy ones. Michael Smiley never fails to deliver, and his supporting role here as half of a couple that the father and daughter protagonists meet in the great outdoors is played to the deliciously wicked hilt.
Bookworm looks stunning, thanks in part to both the gorgeous mountains, woods, and bodies of water that New Zealand boasts and cinematographer Daniel Katz’s stellar work to capture all of that beauty and the suspenseful events that take place there.
Timpson lightens the tone up from his previous feature — the genre-bending, often gruesome Come to Daddy (Ireland/Canada/New Zealand/U.S., 2019) — and delivers a winning tale of courage and redemption with Bookworm. It’s edgy and fantastical enough for genre-film aficionados to stay engrossed, but not so dark as to be overly unsettling to many general and younger viewers. And who doesn’t love a hunt for a mysterious cryptid?
Bookworm screened as part of Pigeon Shrine FrightFest, which ran from 22–26 August, 2024 in London, U.K. For more information, visit https://frightfest.co.uk/.
Bookworm is available on Digital Platforms 11 November. Distributed by Signature Entertainment.
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