Three mischievous children embark on a woodland odyssey when their mother sends them on an errand.
Content Advisory:
Three friends find themselves on a wilderness adventure on a quest to acquire a blueberry pie in Riddle of Fire. Hazel A’Dale (Charlie Stover), his younger brother Jodie (Skyler Peters), and their friend Alice (Phoebe Ferro) make up Three Immortal Reptiles, a prepubescent dirtbike gang, betting up to mischief and petty crimes in Ribbon, Wyoming. When their attempts to play their freshly swiped video game console are thwarted by a password-protected TV, Hazel’s sick mother Julie (Danielle Hoetmer) instructs him to get her a blueberry pie in exchange for the password.
Acquiring the pie is more difficult than anticipated, but the Three Immortal Reptiles acquire a recipe and prepare to shop(lift) for the ingredients. However, the final and vital carton of speckled eggs is grabbed by John Redrye (Charles Halford), a member of the Enchanted Blade Gang, led by the witch Anna-Freya Hollyhock (Lio Tipton) and consisting of her family Marty (Weston Razooli), Suds (Rachel Browne), and Kels (Andrea Browne). The Three Immortal Reptiles end up being accidentally kidnapped into the wilderness when they get trapped in the Enchanted Blade Gang’s truck and they end up receiving assistance from Anna-Freya’s fairy-princess daughter Petal (Lorelei Mote) to acquire the eggs.
Riddle of Fire Synopsis
Riddle of Fire is a “neo-fairytale” adventure comedy and the debut feature film from writer-director Weston Razooli. Shot on 16mm the film is described as a “witches’ brew of Grimm’s fairytales, Criterion Saturday matinees, Romantic poetry, British folklore, neo-westerns, gasoline, and paintball guns set in the American West.” The film’s plot is told from the perspective of its pre-teen protagonists as a medieval roleplaying fantasy. This includes the Three Immortal Reptiles going on a literal quest to acquire a blueberry pie.
This quest results in the kids running afoul of the Enchanted Blade Gang, a family of poachers intent on killing a mythical deer in the wilderness. The Three Immortal Reptiles find themselves helped by Petal, the daughter of the “witch” Anna-Freya Hollyhock, who stowed away in the gang’s truck. Before it’s too late, the kids have to find a way to acquire a speckled egg and return home to bake a blueberry pie, all while avoiding capture by the Enchanted Blade Gang.
My Thoughts on Riddle of Fire
Riddle of Fire is a deeply original neo-fairytale that is both a throwback to the kid-centric Amblin adventures of the 1980s and has a bit more of an edge to it. This includes establishing the Three Immortal Reptiles in the opening scene as paint gun-wielding bandits breaking into a warehouse to steal the hottest new video game console. Writer-director Weston Razooli also isn’t afraid to put these kids into real peril, such as the antagonistic John Redrye having no qualms about threatening them with a handgun.
While completely separate genres of films, Riddle of Fire reminded me the most of 2012’s I Declare War. Both films visualize the fantasies of pre-teen protagonists as a heightened reality. In the case of Riddle of Fire, the heightened reality takes place in a modern world, with fantasy roleplaying elements not dissimilar to Dungeons & Dragons. In addition, the 16mm photography of Riddle of Fire gives it a retro visual aesthetic that makes the film appear like a more family-friendly version of 2016’s The Love Witch.
Riddle of Fire benefits from having a solid cast of young actors. Shining brightest in the film is Lorelei Mote as the “fairy princess” Petal Hollyhock, who seems to be having so much fun playing along with the fantasy aesthetic. Another standout is Skyler Peters as Jodie A’Dale, whose speech impediment results in his many funny one-liners being subtitled on the screen. Jodie also leads the charge for a third-act dance sequence set to the 1977 song “Baby Come Back” by Player.
While Riddle of Fire is a film told from the perspective of kids, it is a film that people of all ages can enjoy. This type of adventure film does not get made anymore and I left with a huge smile. Weston Razooli is a filmmaker to look out for and I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.
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