This is a crime thriller unlike any other picture that comes to mind. Film-maker Andrew Bowser can be relied upon to craft original features that try something a little different, like them or not. With the distinct way this is shot, 'Worm' definitely stands out in a crowd.
Having accordingly been filmed in and around Guthrie, Oklahoma, 'Worm' absolutely has the look and feel of a story playing out in Small Town, USA. Disparate old buildings, abandoned structures, knucklehead cops, sleepy streets, and dusty roads round out the setting. There's a strong sense in the dialogue and characterizations that this is a place where everyone knows each other. Moreover, the title character, of whom more is revealed as the movie goes on, seems very much like a familiar figure that we can all recognize in someone among our high school classmates of however many years ago.
The narrative doesn't do much to impress at first, but turns in the plot keep us watching. Story beats are written well and stitched together into a cohesive whole that's ultimately quite rewarding, especially at the climax. I also appreciate the ending, summarily cutting to the end credits with an open-ended curtness echoing Worm's jarring, eye-opening journey. Characters, meanwhile, don't necessarily seem developed beyond the purpose they serve in the film, including the aforementioned scenery for the setting. Yet having served that purpose - and given that 'Worm' is enjoyable as is - I'm not going to harp on that particular deficiency.
The prime attraction of 'Worm' is in its technical craft - or deliberate lack thereof. Bowser has taken three novel, relatively uncommon ideas and combined them into one: The movie is filmed with a GoPro camera, worn by Bowser in the starring role. Unlike other features or personal videos that utilize a first-person perspective, Bowser does the exact opposite here, and has the camera turned back onto himself for the entirety of the runtime, creating a minor fishbowl lens effect. And these methods are employed, as per Bowser himself, for the two sole long takes of which the picture is seamlessly comprised, creating the appearance of one continuous shot.
It's an inventive and profoundly risky endeavor to shoot a feature film in any of these ways, let alone all of them, as each technique carries liabilities of one sort or another. Bowser is to be applauded for daring to create something so out of the ordinary, whether it completely succeeds or not. That said, in my mind, 'Worm' does pull it off, quite well.
There's an overarching sense of claustrophobia to the film - not for any specific confined space, but in a more esoteric, thematic sense. Worm, the character, is a man effectively trapped by his past and status in the small town where he was raised. The intrigue he's caught up in has him in a tight spot, and the persistent orientation of the camera further emphasizes this, as though he's in a bubble. The visual of a continuous shot, the believable real-time transpiration of the course of events over 90 minutes, the consciously unrefined quality of the film, and at length the finale - the very last lines of the picture - all build into that atmosphere of oppressive, narrowly enclosed circumstances. This unifying slant to the movie is gratifying for the consideration it's given.
As much as 'Worm' deserves praise, it's not perfect. The film-making style is novel, and it works, but it's easy to imagine that it's a hard sell to a general audience for so much of each scene to go unseen. Bowser has demonstrated reasonable skills as an actor previously, but the "camerawork" here is such that even the most celebrated A-lister has their work cut out for them - and furthermore, Bowser has written himself into a particularly dynamic role that demands strong emotive range. I don't like to be an abject critic, but with these notions in mind, I don't think he's entirely able to sell the part - at least, not when it matters most, unfortunately. And while the weight assigned to preceding plot points makes up for the weakness, I also don't feel like the final scene wholly imparts the gravity that's intended - the briskness of the final minutes, and arguably the camerawork again, detract from the momentousness.
Still, these perceived shortcomings do not outweigh what is otherwise a highly enjoyable movie. Bowser's acting under these conditions is mostly suitable, if thusly imperfect. The narrative is solid. The original music of Aaron Marsh, largely unobtrusive, rears its head to underscore important emotional beats. Every aspect of the feature lends deftly to an intangible air of bounds, and constraints. And this is all achieved, faults and all, with an imaginative, unconventional approach to the production.
Anyone with a keen interest in Bowser's career should have already watched this, and it's especially worthwhile too for any viewer who seeks films treading a path less taken. At that - so long as the atypical storytelling style isn't a turn-off, this is a fine watch for a wider audience. Though not without its flaws, 'Worm' is a carefully and cleverly crafted thriller, and recommended as a fun movie to check out.
