By John Corrado

★★★ (out of 4)

The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 7th to 17th.

The debut feature from writer-director Weston Razooli, Riddle of Fire is a delightful childhood fantasy shot on 16mm, that really feels like watching a piece of lost media from the 1970s. Razooli has described his film as a “neo-fairytale,” and it’s a debut feature that is so aesthetically confident in what it is trying to be; a kids adventure movie that shot like a low-budget medieval fantasy. And it already feels like a future cult classic.

The film’s three stars, Hazel (Charlie Stover), Alice (Phoebe Ferro) and Jodie (Skyler Peters) are a gang of scrappy, potty-mouthed little rascals who call themselves the Immortal Reptiles. They ride dirt bikes through the backwoods of Ribbon, Wyoming, shooting their paintball guns at anyone or anything that gets in their way. When their plans to spend the day playing video games are thwarted by an unknown TV password, they end up on a quest for a blueberry pie that turns into a side quest for a speckled egg, that ends up pitting them against the dangerous Enchanted Blade Gang.

Watching Riddle of Fire feels like stumbling upon a random old movie that I would have borrowed on VHS from the library in the late-1990s, and I mean that in a good way. Razooli’s film has a wonderfully handmade quality to it, right down to Jake L. Mitchell’s nostalgic 16mm cinematography, with its quirky, at times Wes Anderson-esque framing choices. The film’s enchanting “dungeon synth” score credited to a variety of artists adds to the dreamlike tone of the entire thing.

It feels like the type of film that a group of kids on summer vacation with the means and talent would make, and that is probably the best compliment I could give this truly one of a kind film. The imperfect line readings from the inexperienced child actors only add to the charm and authenticity (including the amusing addition of subtitles to help us understand Jodie, who has a bit of a lisp). As a side note, I did all ten Midnight Madness screenings at TIFF this year, and this was a good note to end on.