STUFFED is the definition of gloriously unhinged. You have never seen a movie like it and I doubt you ever will again. Part SWEENEY TODD with a dose of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN and DEATH BECOMES HER mixed in, this genre-bending dark comedy/horror/romance/musical is full of humor, wears its heart on its sleeve, and has an incredible original soundtrack. It also features fearless lead performances from Jodie Comer and Harry Melling, both of whom take on singing, dancing… and taxidermy.
Bernie (Melling) is a lonesome sandwich worker who lives a rather monotonous life. When he’s not at work, he’s visiting his mother, who suffers from dementia, in a nursing home. The two regularly watch the show “Everyday Stories, Extraordinary Lives,” which highlights regular people with incredible stories. With his mother’s memory fading and his lack of any other friends, Bernie starts to consider his legacy. Will he be remembered when he dies? Lucky for him, he sees an ad in the paper that promises to help with that very problem. Enter Araminta (Comer), a taxidermy-enthusiast (to put it mildly) who has been shunned by the community after a childhood tragedy. She spends her days driving around town, finding roadkill to stuff and add to her large collection. Her dream is to one day stuff a human, whom she can keep around the house and add to her cast of companions. And when she meets Bernie, she realizes she has the perfect candidate.
The music and score in STUFFED is out-of-this-world; I’m upset the film is still looking for distribution because I need the soundtrack ASAP. The lyrics are clever (my favorite of which is “they say beauty is skin deep, but depends who does the skinning”) and the orchestrations are beautiful. From the opening scene alone, you know you’re in for a symphonic treat, with a song that perfectly encapsulates the film. Sung by a group of elderly people in the nursing home, the ballad magnificently explores legacy and being remembered and tugs at your heartstrings as much as it sets up the film’s atmosphere and central theme. Filmmakers Theo Rhys and Joss Holden-Rea do some pretty impressive world-building both in the script and macabre production design… you don’t have a sense of time or really a sense of where this is all occurring (apart from in England), and that adds to the eerie ambience. I especially loved the attention to detail in the sandwich factory and Araminta’s taxidermy-filled apartment, which perfectly encapsulates the motivations of the main characters, overcoming a gloomy monotony and fulfilling an unbridled obsession.
Is there anything Jodie Comer can’t do? That was my main takeaway after watching the film. We know she is one of the greatest actors of her generation, but now she adds singing and dancing to her repertoire too! Comer is sensational in the role, taking on a character that some could easily perceive as unlikable, and making you not only care about her but root for her… no matter how :ahem: insane her end goal may be. Harry Melling is also fantastic, showing off his vocal range, which was so impressive the audience stopped midway through the film to applaud one of his songs. But while both actors are amazing in their own right, they are even better together. The film lives and dies based on the chemistry between the two leads, and by the end of the film I had fully bought into the relationship and shipped them big time!
STUFFED is not a dose of originality, it’s a waterfall… and that is what we need to see more and more of in film. It is a twisted, wonderfully weird, wildly original musical. And in this age of franchises, sequels, and spin-offs, we need to support more films like this, which take you in directions you never thought possible. Admittedly, I know this movie isn’t going to be for all audiences—not everyone likes horror and not everyone likes musicals—but for those who like both, you are in for a real treat.
My Review: B+
