BRADBURY BEAR FIRE RANGER (1998)
REVIEWS

FILMSON.COM REVIEW: B
WRITTEN BY: Mia

Ever been treated so horribly by a condescending store clerk that you were tempted to torch the whole place upon your departure? If so (and that's got to be most of us) you'll surely enjoy Bradbury Bear Fire Ranger, an unusual story about what can happen when people don't act with the bear necessity of kindness.

That's not to say that the film doesn't clearly show its student origins. Consistency problems abound when it comes to the pace and plot, and the acting is at times amateurish and overwrought. Still, the premise that the unkindness of a stranger can so unhinge a fragile young person that an explosive chain of events takes place, holds up under scrutiny.

Besides having come up with a truly original story (no easy feat in itself), filmmaker Paolo Sedazzari shows a flair for both live-action and animated filmmaking within the space of only 20 minutes. With its combination of kiddy animation and adult black comedy, this not-quite perfect film is still unlike anything I've seen in a while.