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This kids’ adventure story with a faux medievalist vibe has a cute conceit and some fun sequences but the inexperience of the cast and director shows

If you’ve ever tried to make a home movie with young children, you quickly come to appreciate how hard it is to get the little monsters to remember their lines and hit their marks, let alone give good performances. It’s an education in the difference between good and bad direction, the raw, primary-teacher skill in herding cats while also managing tone, quality control and all that storytelling stuff. Just try it for yourself and you’ll realise just how good a job directors such as Garth Jennings or Taika Waititi did with child-led films like Son of Rambow or Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

At the very least, this awareness will help you be a bit more forgiving of a film like Riddle of Fire.

Long before she was a movie star, a teenage Nicole Kidman appeared in the early-’80s action comedy “BMX Bandits,” a rowdy Australian kidpic full of bicycle stunts and Scooby-Doo crime-stopping shenanigans. It’s too early to say whether any of the adorable young leads in “Riddle of Fire” will go on to have successful acting careers. Still, it’s amusing to think that two decades into the 21st century, writer-director Weston Razooli has taken inspiration from such questionable classics, along with vintage live-action Disney fare — like “Escape from Witch Mountain” and the Herbie movies, which the studio sold in puffy white VHS cases — for his own retro-spirited debut.

Spun from equal parts imagination and nostalgia, “Riddle of Fire” comes as close as any film since “Spy Kids” or “Kisses” to mirroring the kind of cinematic adventures we made in our heads as kids. Razooli remembers how it feels to...

Riddle of Fire is a whimsical kids' adventure movie with mature themes, and it's sometimes hard to tell who it's for. This film captures childhood curiosity and features excellent young actors, along with a great turn from Lio Tipton. The imaginative storytelling and lush visuals make this a compelling if sometimes frustrating watch.

Earlier this century, Maurice Sendak's iconic children's book, Where the Wild Things Are, was turned into a feature film by none other than Spike Jonze. The adaptation, however, was no kids' movie — but rather, a movie about kids. See what we mean? A similar argument could be made about Riddle of Fire, the debut feature from Utah writer-director Weston Razooli. On the surface, this lush fantasy film may seem right up your kid's alley. But ultimately, it's perhaps better suited for adults.

Hey, maybe it actually walks a fine line, and two things can be true:...

Weston Razooli knows that he broke all the rules on his first movie. While some directors ease themselves into feature filmmaking by telling intimate stories that can be confined to one location and a handful of experienced actors, Razooli swung for the fences with “Riddle of Fire.”

The anachronistically nostalgic adventure saga follows three pals who spend a summer afternoon searching for the perfect blueberry pie ingredients in a world filled with witches, fairies, and scheming huntsmen — all with the hope of convincing a bedridden mother to let them get back to playing video games.

The film captures the whimsy of a childhood summer adventure on a scale that manages to feel epic to its pint-sized protagonists and charmingly intimate to adult audiences. But Razooli’s distinct vision forced him to navigate the kinds of logistical challenges that could derail a massive studio production — like shooting on 16mm film with...

A beguiling “neo-fairy tale” that effectively splits the difference between the high fantasy of “Legend” and the lo-fi drift of “L for Leisure,” Weston Razooli’s “Riddle of Fire” tries to capture the magic inherent to even modern childhood by stretching a simple fetch quest into an epic adventure. Perhaps a little too epic, it turns out.

Despite kicking off with a heist sequence that crystallizes the miscreant fun of a late summer afternoon and tees up a Tolkien-worthy plot in the clearest possible terms, Razooli’s increasingly languorous debut soon proves to be easier to appreciate than it is to enjoy. It’s a light and singular concoction of sick-ass vibes in dire need of something — anything — to weigh them down. I couldn’t wait for it to end, but that’s partially because I’m already so impatient to see what Razooli does next.

Set in rural Wyoming...

Yellow Veil Pictures and Vinegar Syndrome have released the hypnotic and beautifully meditative trailer for Riddle of Fire, a movie that was included in the lineup at last year’s Fantastic Fest and Midnight Madness at TIFF. The trailer plays like a fever dream as writer and director Weston Razooli takes you on a unique journey through the eyes of children as they make their way through the forest and encounter many threatening figures, which plays out like a dark fairy tale.

The official synopsis reads,

“This neo-fairytale set in Wyoming, USA follows three mischievous children as they embark on an odyssey when their mother asks them to run an errand. On the hunt to obtain her favourite blueberry pie, the children are kidnapped by poachers, battle a witch, outwit a huntsman, befriend a fairy, and bond together to become best friends forever.”

Skyler Peters, Phoebe Ferro, Charlie Stover and...

"I'm gonna get your kids!" Yellow Veil Pictures has launched the full official trailer for an indie gem titled Riddle of Fire, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Weston Razooli. This first premiered at last year's Cannes Film Festival, with stops at tons of other festivals. Now set for a US theatrical release this March. It's about a trio of kids on an adventure. Here's the Fantastic Fest one-liner intro: "Three children go on an epic quest to uncover the password for their TV, finding themselves in their own video game-like adventure in the real world." A neo-fairytale thriller shot in Wyoming, following three mischievous children as they embark on an odyssey when their mother asks them to run an errand to to get the TV password. On the hunt to obtain her favorite blueberry pie, the children are kidnapped by poachers, battle a witch, outwit a huntsman, befriend a fairy,...

A selection at Cannes Directors Fortnight and TIFF Midnight Madness last year, Weston Razooli’s singular debut Riddle of Fire follows a group of mischievous children who embark on a woodland odyssey to deliver a pie, battle a witch, outwit a huntsman, befriend a fairy, and become best friends forever. Picked up by Yellow Veil and Vinegar Syndrome, the first trailer has now arrived for the 16mm-shot fantasy film, set for a theatrical release on March 22.

Ankit Jhunjhunwala said in his review, “Films with child protagonists present a unique tonal challenge. If overly saccharine whimsy can alienate an adult audience, having precocious kids delivering mannered performances can seem too stylized and divorced from reality––what, say, Wes Anderson has a skill for, many others do not possess. With his debut feature Riddle of Fire, director Weston Razooli tries locating the balance between extremes to uneven results. On paper, this is a kids’ fantasy,...

Mister Smith Entertainment has clinched first key international sales on Weston Razooli’s “Riddle of Fire.”

Among major territories, Mister Smith has closed Japan (Klockworx), France (ASC Distribution) and Spain (Flamingo Films). Deals build on a co-u.S acquisition by Yellow Veil Pictures and Vinegar Syndrome, which plan a domestic theatrical bow in early 2024, releasing the film on 35mm.

“Riddle of Fire” has also been sold to Portugal (Leopardo Filmes), Greece (Odeon) and Femeway/The Film Group and Front Row Filmed Entertainment for the Middle East, Singapore (the Shaw Organization), ex-Yugoslavia (Blitz Film) and worldwide airlines and ships (Anuvu).

Razooli’s first feature made its debut in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight and its North American premiere as the Toronto Festival’s Midnight Madness closing-night film.

A highlight on Mister Smith’s AFM slate, “Riddle of Fire” has additional territories in negotiations, which Mse will attempt to close in Santa Monica.

Shot...

Films with child protagonists present a unique tonal challenge. If overly saccharine whimsy can alienate an adult audience, having precocious kids delivering mannered performances can seem too stylized and divorced from reality––what, say, Wes Anderson has a skill for, many others do not possess. With his debut feature Riddle of Fire, director Weston Razooli tries locating the balance between extremes to uneven results. On paper, this is a kids’ fantasy, action-adventure film, yet it’s difficult to discern the precise audience to whom it may appeal.

Rabble-rousing rascals Hazel (Charlie Stover), Alice (Phoebe Ferro), and Jodie (Skyler Peters) spend their summer vacation zooming around Ribbon, Wyoming, on dirt bikes. They carry paintball guns and beaded necklaces as members of their self-created “Reptiles” gang. One day they steal a new video game console from a local factory but are unable to run it because Hazel and Jodie’s mom has password-protected the TV.

There’s nothing quite like a throwback film – whether it’s driven by nostalgia or executed as a creative exercise, it’s fun to see how creatives handle the material.

Weston Razooli’s Riddle of Fire has all of the hallmarks of a classic ’80s children adventure film, mixed with the quaintness of a British fairytale. This is evident from the film’s opening scene, which features ethereal folk music, heavily stylized cursive font, and fairytale language: “Are ye a knight or are ye a squire? Can ye solve the Riddle of Fire?”

Like the best examples from the ’80s, however, there’s a persistent undercurrent of peril as the child characters are repeatedly put in danger with antagonists who won’t hesitate to harm or even murder them. In short: think Goonies meets Adventures in Babysitting with a touch of The Princess Bride‘s aesthetic.

One of the great...

Usually films about children are told from an adult’s point of view – a narrator looking back or an adventure described as an adult might imagine it. This film, which screened as part of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, is told from a child’s point of view, immediate and haphazard, magical and unlikely. Where it frustrates adult critics it will click perfectly with the under-12s, following as it does the different set of rules through which the world makes sense for children.

We first meet its young heroes, the three immortal reptiles Alice (Phoebe Ferro), Hazel (Charlie Stover) and Jodie (Skyler Peters), when they are in the process of robbing a warehouse, outwitting a security guard to steal the latest video games console. A frantic chase follows, a glorious homecoming, and then abrupt disappointment when they discover that the boys’ mother has locked the television so they still can’t.

"The prince of the mountain forever grants to those with hearts rich." An early festival promo trailer is out for an indie genre film titled Riddle of Fire, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Weston Razooli. This originally premiered in the Directors' Fortnight sidebar of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, and it's now set to play at the big three genre fests this fall: Toronto, Fantastic Fest, and the Sitges Film Festival in Spain. It's about some kids on an adventure. Here's the Fantastic Fest one-liner intro: "Three children go on an epic quest to uncover the password for their TV, finding themselves in their own video game-like adventure in the real world." Over at TIFF, they also describe it as: "Three rascal children run afoul of an enigmatic coven in Weston Razooli’s whimsical neo-fairytale, which evokes a menagerie of esoteric genres and dreamy cult-film vibes." This stars Lio Tipton,...

Yellow Veil Pictures and Vinegar Syndrome announced have co-acquired North American rights for “Riddle of Fire,” the feature debut of writer and director Weston Razooli. The movie follows three mischievous children as they embark on an odyssey when their mother asks them to run an errand.

The film was also an official selection at this year’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and will screen on the closing night of the Toronto Film Festival’s Midnight Madness section. It stars Lio Tipton, Charles Halford, Charlie Stover, Skyler Peters, Phoebe Ferro, and Lorelei Olivia Mote. The film is produced by David Atrakchi, Sohrab Mirmont, Razooli and Tipton. Executive producers are Marlow Griffin Lyddon, Brendon Griffin Lyddon, David Wiener, Kate Wiener, Jay Van Hoy, Sophie Meister, and Donna Gruneich. Mister Smith Entertainment is handling worldwide sales.

This is the first time that the two distributors have partnered. Yellow Veil and Vinegar Syndrome are planning...

Making the pie should have been easy. The recipe calls for the usual ingredients: flour, sugar, lemon (both zest and juice), blueberries and an egg. But the parenthetical after the egg complicates matters. “Preferably speckled,” it reads. In truth, any egg would have been fine. But Jodie (Skyler Peters), Alice (Phoebe Ferro) and Hazel (Charlie Stover), the precocious trio at the heart of Weston Razooli’s fanciful debut feature Riddle of Fire, are not only novice bakers — they’re also children. So what should have been a suggestion becomes a mandate.

The search for the speckled egg is the crux of Razooli’s film, which renders the American West (it’s set in Wyoming but was shot in Utah) as a landscape baited with obstacles. There’s a painterly quality to the director’s depiction of the Great Plains state: Billowing white clouds drift across the powder-blue sky, their path...

Weston Razooli is far more than just a writer, producer and director. He’s a world-builder, as evidenced by his feature debut, “Riddle of Fire.” The faux-’70s children’s fantasy adventure, which premieres May 20 in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight program, follows three tweens on a quest for ingredients to bake a blueberry pie, all to coax the boys’ mother into letting them play a stolen video game. Danger arrives when they meet the “Enchanted Blade Gang” led by a witch (Lio Tipton). Its deadpan comedy and surreal feel — somewhere between “Escape to Witch Mountain,” “Scooby-Doo” and “Napoleon Dynamite” — make it equally appealing to kids, Gen Xers, stoners, Adult Swim watchers and fans of cult indie cinema.

“There’s this tone that I call a ‘dark ’70s sci-fi fantasy vibe’ in children’s films that get a bit scary, which I think is important for an adventure film,” Razooli says.

The action comedy is the debut feature of US filmmaker Razooli.

UK sales outfit Mister Smith Entertainment is launching world sales at Cannes on US filmmaker Weston Razooli’s feature film debut, action and adventure comedy Riddle Of Fire. The title will world premiere in Directors’ Fortnight.

It follows three mischievous children as they embark on an odyssey when their mother asks them to run an errand, in a neo-fairytale set in Wyoming in the US.

Riddle Of Fire will star Lio Tipton, Charles Halford, Charlie Stover, Skyler Peters, Phoebe Ferro, and Lorelei Olivia Mote. It is being produced by...