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New Zealand cinema is some of the finest in the world. While the country is used for global productions for its scenery, the home-grown content has a huge focus on comedy and heart. The Ant Timpson-directed 'Bookworm' showcases all of the country's cinematic strengths.
'Bookworm' follows 11-year-old Mildred (Nell Fisher, 'Evil Dead Rise', Netflix's 'Choose Love'), who has a fascination with the legend of the Canterbury panther. She plans to go camping with her mother to find the panther and film it to get a $50,000 reward. Her plans change when her mother falls into a coma, her estranged U.S. magician father, Strawn Wise (Elijah Wood, 'The Lord of the Rings' franchise, 'Happy Feet'), is sent to take care of Mildred. In an attempt to bond with her, they go on that camping trip, with the goal of finding that panther!
'Bookworm' has a lot of charm to it. Both Fisher and Wood have great chemistry, and the dynamic of girl-adult and man-baby really works here. The two are a delightful duo to watch, and the journey they go on as father and daughter is extremely heartfelt. It is also one of those family adventures that works through the lens of both a child and an adult and is sure to resonate emotionally with both demographics.
The film does a decent job of balancing the comedy and drama. It was a much more serious film than I anticipated going in, skewing older than the marketing suggests. This is a great family film for those with tweens, but a little too heavy for any younger viewers. This is not a 'Nim's Island' or 'Dora', this is more like 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople', only a tad more serious.
'Bookworm' has a lot of charm to it. Both Fisher and Wood have great chemistry. The two are a delightful duo to watch, and the journey they go on as father and daughter is extremely heartfelt.
'Bookworm' showcases everything we have grown to love about New Zealand cinema: the gorgeous landscapes, the fantastic comedy, and heart. The dynamic duo of Fisher and Wood make this worth the adventure.
To celebrate the release of 'Bookworm' in cinemas, we're giving you the chance to win a family pass.
To win one of five family passes thanks to Rialto Distribution, just make sure you follow both steps:
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