The Worm
Directed by Tom Noakes
Produced by Adrian Pinto, Will Goodfellow, Lucy Gaffy & Tom Noakes
Written by Will Goodfellow
Australia | English | 13' | Black Comedy, Drama, Horror
Kieran’s got problems— bad ideas, worse choices, and an evil telepathic worm whispering dark thoughts into his brain. His sister think he’s crazy, his therapist thinks he needs help, and his Worm Grunter just wants to get paid. To get him to see sense, his well meaning family stage an intervention, but a healthy dose of dysfunction quickly derails best laid plans. Insults are traded, accusations made, and dark family secrets revealed, all in the name of answering one absurd question: is Kieran losing his mind, or is the worm, in fact, real? As tensions boil over, Kieran stands his ground, leading to a bizarre and hilarious showdown between reason, belief, and one very unlucky invertebrate...
We need to talk about Kieran. THE WORM walks us through an absurd crashout of a troubled young man, hellbent on destroying an earthworm that is relentlessly telepathically terrorizing him. His incredulous behavior (and total destruction of the front yard) results in the worst intervention ever, held by his family, understandably less than sympathetic to his cause. The result is an empathetic and nuanced reflection on toxic masculine behaviors, the isolation and misunderstanding that exacerbates them, the need for accountability, and how it all interferes with the universal pursuit to love and accept the person you see in the mirror.
Anna Long, Programmer
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