TIFF 2026 Review: Stuffed – “deliciously bizarre”

Courtesy of TIFF

From its minor-key, melodic opening to its very end, Stuffed is uncomfortable… well, stuff.  It’s the next musical Tim Burton wishes he had made, but instead we have director and co-writer Theo Rhys to thank, expanding on his 2021 short film that premiered at SXSW.  A macabre, unique film, Stuffed is not going to be for everyone, but for a film about taxidermy, it also offers a surprising sweetness and contemplation about life (and death’s) ultimate meaning.

Bernie (Harry Melling) visits his mother in a retirement home most days.  She usually doesn’t know him anymore, but dutifully he spends time with her, which is better than any of the other residents get.  His is the only name in the guestbook.  Bernie has worked for ten years at the town’s sandwich factory (Life’s good when you have a sandwich!) but no one there knows who he is either.  He collects obituaries of other people named Bernie, people who have made something of themselves and he wonders if the world will remember him for anything, if at all.

The town is definitely remembering Araminta (Jodie Comer).  In her gothic fashion style she certainly stands out, and then there’s the rumour that she ate her mother.  She’s a taxidermist, finding beauty in death.  Preservation is a way for these deceased beings to live forever.  Her home is full of stuffed critters – cats, foxes, a badger, birds.  There’s just one thing that’s missing, one last creation that is her ultimate dream.  And that’s where Bernie comes in.  His application to her advertisement to be turned into something exceptional stands out from the typical messages from perverts and trolls Araminta receives.  Could he be the one? And will a man searching for purpose in life instead find it in death?

Yes, so as I said, Stuffed won’t be for everyone.  If you’re already wondering how on earth this premise is a film let alone a musical, I’m sure you’re not the only one.  But, open mind.  There is more to this one-of-a-kind film than meets the eye.  Because lingering under the surface is an idea to consider as to what constitutes life, and lasting memory.  Bernie’s mother is alive physically, but with her stories long forgotten, her son is her only legacy.  In the throws of dementia she is existing, not really living.  Is death a more merciful ending? One in which beauty can be found?

At the same time, Stuffed is about finding something outside yourself to love, to add meaning to life.  With co-writer and composer Joss Holden-Rea’s music, Melling and Comer sing about seeing themselves through each other’s eyes in a strangely sweet moment amongst a dark premise.  And, speaking of singing, both these leads prove their vocal talents.  I had no clue either of them could sing prior to this film and either of them could find a home on the Broadway stage.  Not all the music will be something you hum on the way home, but there are a couple really good tunes.  It’s certainly better than anything that was in one of TIFF 2024’s musicals, The End.

There were a fair number of walk-outs during the press screening of Stuffed.  And while that isn’t always unusual in a press and market screening, some of them did happen after a bit of a gross part at the beginning.  This is certainly on track to be a divisive film, but for those that can stomach the premise, Stuffed is deliciously bizarre, and this theatre lover was entertained from the first note until the very bittersweet last.

Stuffed had its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday, September 10th.  For more information head to tiff.net

Warning: for those sensitive to scenes involving animals, this is a film about taxidermy! There are scenes involving the death of a dog and its subsequent skinning that are fairly graphically depicted (see those walk outs above). And plenty of other already dead and stuffed critters!