Now that this year’s Toronto International Film Festival has concluded, I can firmly say that Weston Razooli’s directorial debut, Riddle of Fire, is the best film from this year’s TIFF Midnight Madness lineup. Cozily shot on 16mm film with an outstanding and charming cast, Riddle of Fire is an endearingly clever “neo-fantasy” heist comedy somewhere north of Little Red Riding Hood and south of Ocean’s Eleven.

Inspired by fetch quests from beloved video games like The Legend of Zelda, Riddle of Fire follows Hazel, Jody, and their friend Alice in their whimsical quest to get Hazel and Jody’s mom a blueberry pie. Rooted in magical realism, the film’s mise en scene feels like a modernization of a classic bedtime story. Shot almost entirely in forest locales, the film’s verdant color palette is very inviting and warm, supplemented by a musical subgenre called “dungeon-synth.”

The opening scene, loosely inspired by Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira, sets up the film’s protagonists, exceptionally performed by child actors Charlie Stover as Hazel, Phoebe Ferro as Alice, and Skyler Peters as Jody. While the film is very simplistic, these three performances make the film so charming and memorable. All three actors have excellent chemistry as the entire film rests on their shoulders, which they do almost effortlessly. Peters is hilarious as the comedic relief, and did a lot of improv comedy in the film as well. With a goofy, childish twist, the scenes these three share are always fun and delightful, with some of the dialogue sounding like a playground version of Casablanca.

But in addition to these noteworthy performances, what makes the film work is Razooli’s focus on nostalgia - not through cheap “product I recognize” nostalgia-bait, but through the emotional nostalgia involved with this trio. Their joy, their laughter, their fear, and their excitement makes one reminisce on these types of silly adventures they had in their own childhood, and that’s the true magic of this film. The childlike wonder within this film is enchanting, moving, and certainly made my eyes water.

Director Weston Razooli helms this film with an elevated sense of maturity and his screenplay is incredibly funny and sweet. Additionally, the camerawork is smooth and calm with a clear prioritization on natural lighting that supplements the film’s whimsical tone. Razooli is clearly having fun behind the camera and his actors are clearly having fun in front of it as well.

The villains, led by Lio Tipton, are fun and cartoonish without being ridiculous or over the top. The main antagonist, Anna-Freya Hollyhock (Lio Tipton) is imposing, but their motives are never fully fleshed out. Charles Hadford is enjoyable as John Redrye, the secondary antagonist, but I feel like he gets much more screen time than Tipton should’ve gotten. Despite the villains’ objectives not being fleshed out as much as they could have been, Tipton, Hadford, and their henchmen are still fun performances that add a lot of necessary tension and depth to the film’s plot. 

Possibly the biggest surprise of the festival, Riddle of Fire is a sweet, moving, and enchanting neo-fairy tale, and an absolutely knockout directorial debut from Weston Razooli. I will be seated for whatever he does next.