On the podcast, Alex Heeney delves into why Theo Rhys’s taxidermy romance needed to be a musical.
In this episode of the podcast, I talk about Theo Rhys’s film Stuffed, starring Jodie Comer as taxidermist Araminta and Harry Melling as Bernie, which I caught at TIFF.
The songs themselves may not be particularly memorable, but Stuffed does something I’m always hoping a movie musical will do: it actually has a reason to be a musical.
I dig into how the film uses song to connect Araminta and Bernie before they’ve even met, to give us access to feelings they struggle to communicate to each other, and — perhaps most interestingly — when it decides not to let them sing.
Plus: why I nearly walked out of this two-hour taxidermy musical several times…and why I kept sitting back down.
In this episode:
- Why I keep subjecting myself to TIFF’s movie musicals
- Why Stuffed’s forgettable songs aren’t actually the most interesting thing about its musical form
- How Araminta and Bernie sing together before they meet
- What changes once they’re finally able to connect in the same room
- How the film uses duets when its would-be lovers are physically apart
- Jodie Comer and Harry Melling’s chemistry
- Why Stuffed is one-note — but hits those notes surprisingly well
Curious about joining my next film program?
I only run a few programs each year, and they’re all limited enrollment.
To be the first to hear about the next one and get first dibs on a seat — plus invitations to the free events I run most months:
The next free event is the week of September 21 and is about The Worst Person in the World.
Podcast Credits
Alex Heeney edited, produced, and recorded the episode.
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Follow Alex Heeney on Instagram, Bluesky, and Twitter.
An AI-generated transcript for the episode is available on Apple Podcasts.
