Summary
A young E-thlete’s world is turned upside down when his eccentric aunt comes to take care of him.
This review of the Netflix film Too Old for Fairytales does not contain spoilers.
Netflix has released the Polish film Too Old for Fairytales, which follows the story of a young boy, Waldek, who is obsessed with video games and his life’s turned upside down when his mother becomes very ill, and his eccentric aunt comes to look after him. This young boy’s dream is to become a professional gamer and win a tournament he’s invested in, but as he’s growing up he’s realising there is more to life than video games.
Directed by Kristoffer Rus and produced by Mikolaj Pokromski, this film has a running time of 1 hour 46 minutes, and there are subtitles available as well as dubbed voiceover. I think the film ran a little long, and parts were dragged out. I know it’s more aimed at children and young adults, but I think they’d be a little bored as nothing terribly exciting or interesting happens. It’s more about the plights and struggles of growing up, and having to be in the real world, and its hardships instead of the gamer world and being in his own imagination.
The acting is okay — there is a heartfelt scene where Waldi runs away to find his mother in the hospital and finally sees how sick she is and he becomes very emotional. Knowing that she’s been hiding this, lying to him, and that she’s really in pain, it’s a lot in that one shot. The aunt’s character is interesting, like a Mary Poppins figure, she’s really pushing the child outside his comfort zones in order to help develop his character and broaden his horizons, eventually making him a better human and stronger adult. This film is about transitioning, moving from being a child into being an adult. Dealing with adult topics such as his mother’s illness, increasing hormones, conflicts, resolutions, and invasive family members. I think there is meant to be a nice message that going through personal journeys isn’t always easy, no matter what age.
One thing I didn’t like is that there is a big onus around making Waldek lose weight. The aunt is constantly forcing him to ride bikes and play outdoor sports, which I think is a mixed message. Gaming/gamers can be healthy, and whilst we should encourage healthy choices and fitness, this fitness fanatic got a bit annoying and boring and I felt bad for the character not being accepted for who he is, a chunky little gamer.
The story is slow, but it showcases a lot of relationships and internal struggles. If it weren’t for the crazy aunt I would have given up watching as she gives a great performance and helps drive the scenes and story along.
With a nice, wholesome ending, overall this film is an easy, sweet, quirky watch. I’d recommend for younger audiences; some adults, mostly parents, might find parts to relate to. This reminds me of a Mary Poppins and Nanny McPhee vibe, just not as magical.
What did you think of the Netflix film Too Old for Fairytales? Comment below.
