Who is Abby? Where did she come from? And why is she here?
This is an enchanting film about a young girl called Abby (Brooklyn Rae Silzer) who somehow sees a fairy nobody else can. She mysteriously turns up out of the blue one night and ends up in the nursing home of an elderly lady called Rosemary (Constance Towers). She gives us the impression that somehow this little girl is her older sister who went missing many years ago, but we’re not quite sure if this is the whole story… or even the story at all. Is Rosemary just old and going mad, or is she telling the truth?
The Storyteller gives us magic, music and heart-warming sensations of love and family. Once broken but now filled with light and laughter again, the Stevens family which consists of Rosemary, her granddaughter Maggie (Samantha Colburn) and Maggie’s adopted daughter Jen (Cassidy Mack) cautiously take in Abby when social services don’t know what else to do with her. What was meant to be a 24-hour affair becomes a longer and loving family relationship. However, as Abby fills the cracks of the broken Stevens family, her own truth starts to slip through and she starts to get scared of the truth coming out.
The musical score accompanying the film is delicate and delightful. Right from the start it fills your boots with magic and mystery and you can’t wait to see what this film brings to you. Throughout the film both the score and soundtrack go hand in hand with each other – fitting perfectly with the storyline, giving us another element to the film that makes it worth watching.
The film itself is only 90 minutes. It’s emotional, heartening yet confusing at times. However, the storyline doesn’t go as far as we had hoped and leaves us with so many unanswered questions at the end. There is indeed a rapid transformation with both the storyline, people’s emotions and even the characters. Jen for example is a moody teenager with no respect for her adopted mother Maggie. Soon after Abby comes, somehow, she changes and starts to show more care for Maggie. Is this simply because Abby came into their lives? Or is it just down to the acting ability of Cassidy Mack and the directing skills of Joe Crump?
Overall, The Storyteller is a unique twist on a fantasy tale from the mind of a young girl – but all is not what it seems… With themes of family, fantasy and love all mixed together, there’s nothing but a feeling of warmth that comes from watching this film. It may not be a cinematic masterpiece, but at least it’ll make you feel good about something.
