Bookworm: Movie Review 

Cast: Elijah Wood, Nell Fisher, Michael Smiley, Morgana O'Reilly, Vanessa Stacey
Director: Ant Timpson

Eschewing his usual genre of horror and the messed-up, director Ant Timpson's relatively straight story about 11-year-old Mildred (Fisher) reuniting with her estranged father (Wood) on a camping trip seems to be going more for the heartstrings rather than anything else.

But don't be fooled - there are some genre touches late in the day with Timpson's latest; although not enough to alienate audiences along for the PG-ride.

When Mildred's mother is hospitalised after an accident, the precocious yet worldly-wise young girl finds herself on a collision course with her AWOL father, the illusionist Strawn Wise (Wood). But Wise is out of his depth, and despite his attempts at bonding, finds himself drawn into Mildred's desire to capture footage of the elusive Canterbury Panther for a reward as a way to bond with his estranged child.

As the polar-opposite pair set off into the wilds of the South Island, Wise is forced to confront the past - but will he come up wanting as a father?

The bonds of connection are really what Timpson wants to explore here in a kind of more family-friendly approach to fatherhood as opposed to his more warped take from his previous film Come to Me Daddy (which also starred Wood). 

For the most part, it works well - a kind of quirky, light offbeat touch is liberally sprinkled throughout the movie, with Fisher's more self-assured edges bristling up against Wood's try-hard approach. But as the film goes on, it starts to develop into more of an indulgent genre fare that sits at odds with the more G-friendly edges that have been laid out early on.

In many ways, Bookworm is a film about second chances, of fatherhood and family rediscovered and it's here that it's more effective.

Fisher is excellent as Mildred, her forthright nature occasionally giving way to insecurities of an 11-year-old, but never once betraying her sense of right and self-belief. Wood adds more comedic touches to his own insecurities, from bristling at being labelled a "magician" instead of illusionist, to sparring with his own daughter to mask his own inadequacies.

It's here Bookworm is more successful; while Timpson's eye for the wilds of the south yield some stunning vistas, it's in the character moments that the movie excels. Offbeat moments sit nicely against the characters that you care about, as elements of truth about relationships emerge from the fray.

Bookworm deserves to be a family hit among cinemagoers - with a sharper focus in parts, it could have excelled - but as a showcase for familial relationships and character-led banter in the daily push-and-pull, it's second to none.