Film Review – Riddle Of Fire (2023)

With its medievalist vibe, Riddle of Fire could almost be mistaken for a period piece. Indeed, even with the clear use of smartphones throughout, the film feels somehow removed from modern times. Riddle of Fire centres around play and imagination with a feeling that it is simply set in childhood – the year, in particular, making no difference.

Directed by actor Weston Razooli, in his directorial debut, Riddle of Fire follows brothers Jodie and Hazel and their friend Alice. The film opens as the three infiltrate a warehouse, armed with paintball guns and gummy worms, and steal a mysterious box before thundering away on their motorbikes. The mysterious box is revealed to contain a games console but when they go to set up the console, they discover that the brothers’ mother has locked the television and they need a to proceed. Poorly in bed, their mother says she will give them the if they can procure her favourite blueberry pie from a nearby bakery. But they soon learn that the bakery is out of pie and so begins an odyssey to obtain the ingredients needed to make the famed pie and unlock gaming goodness.

Riddle of Fire feels at once like a bedtime story and a Dungeons and Dragons adventure. Something about it feels almost fantastical and dreamlike, a feeling enhanced by the visuals. Filmed on 16mm stock rather than digital, the film has a hazy and warm quality to it. The settings also enhance the whimsical nature of the film with the kids visiting forests, rocky creeks, and wooden houses seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

Ironically everything that makes Riddle of Fire so uniquely what it is, is exactly what might threaten to turn some audiences away. Whilst the child actors who take centre stage here are raw, unpolished, and devoid of any Hollywood-ness, their performances are often just slightly off the mark and lines are flubbed. Whilst their characters are often winningly playful and boisterous, they are also foul-mouthed and delinquent. The series of obstacles that prevent them from obtaining the ingredients needed for the pie get exceedingly silly which audiences will either find funny and entertaining or they might wonder why exactly it is that three kids have ended up in a seedy bar at four o’clock in the morning. Another contentious issue may also be the running time. At one hundred and fifteen minutes, Riddle of Fire does threaten to overplay its hand.

However, for those who find themselves under Riddle of Fire’s spell of reverie, there are all of the trappings of a future cult classic here. This film is playful and evocative of those long summer days where games and play were all that mattered. Razooli has made his mark with a fascinating debut, and it will be really interesting to see what he does next.

★★★★

In UK  cinemas June 7th / Lio Tipton, Charles Halford, Charlie Stover, Skyler Peters, Phoebe Ferro / Dir. Weston Razooli / Icon Film Distribution / 12A