mancusoMINI: Riddle of Fire

Weston Razooli's fantasy film is an absurdist hidden treasure

mancusoMINI is a series of short-form reviews for new films that I saw but that are beyond my primary review slate (or I just didn’t have enough time to write a full review).

To be completely honest, I found Riddle of Fire initially quite off-putting - Weston Razooli’s offbeat and idiosyncratic pseudo fantasy asks a lot of its audience in suspending not just our disbelief but our expectations of what a film should be like. But as I descended deeper into the world Razooli was trying to convey, I was eventually and completely won over by the film’s absurdist tone that somehow manages to balance both sardonicism and sincerity. This film is not for everyone, but it’s hard to argue that it is not a fully-realized vision with consistent ambitions throughout; it’s a 1970s Disney fantasy-adventure film by way of Napoleon Dynamite, with bizarre child performances that blur the line between intentionally charming and just plain bad (though Loreli Mote’s Petal is a delightful standout). This directorial choice is bolstered by a wonderful chemistry and dynamic between the three leads. By contrast, the adult characters (who are often antagonistic to our heroes) are as histrionic as the human villains in a Muppet movie - entertaining and deliciously evil. These performances are all wrapped in a surprisingly nostalgic sense of fantasy and wonder, making the story feel like a true adventure just happening in the real world. The poetic nature of the cinematography reinforces these ideas, and the film’s gorgeous Kodak photography captures stunning vistas with a texture that makes them almost seem like paintings. The film is a bit light on the thematic side of things, but it makes up for it in the exploration of fundamental aspects of the human experience and coming-of-age. The film has had a limited distribution, and I don’t see it becoming a sleeper hit on streaming, but like any great summer adventure with friends, sometimes finding a great hidden treasure, place, or moment is its own reward.

8/10 - Great