As soon as the premise for Stuffed came up over TIFF coverage, it was immediately put on my “must see” list for me. It seems I give off some sort of vibe that implies a dark musical about taxidermy is without question for me. Well, they were right. Stuffed had everything. A great story, outstanding music and vocals, an eerie atmosphere, and a whole lot of weird.
Stuffed, on paper, is about an unremarkable man who wants to do something extraordinary, and a woman who, for all intents and purposes, wants to facilitate that dream, albeit with her own ambitions behind it. Jodie Comer plays Araminta, a spooky loner who we meet dragging a dead animal across a field. Harry Melling plays the dull and dreary Bernie, and though you wouldn’t guess it, the two are a match made in heaven.
Bernie’s life is pretty clearly laid out for us. He has no partner or kids and takes pride in his very, very dull job. He makes sandwiches on an assembly line, and he isn’t even the primary cheese placer; he’s just the guy who tidies it up. His mother is declining in a home and barely remembers him. Araminta is in a similar boat, though instead of being invisible in the world, she hides from it and goes out of her way to keep people at a distance. The world around her creates stories about her based on her peculiar attitude and odd habits. Both are struggling with similar issues in very different ways.
Before I get too far into the acting and story, I want to talk about the music. Stuffed genuinely brought some bangers to the table. Some were catchy, which is always fun for a musical, but many were emotional, powerful, and meaningful. The very first number is about wanting to leave a mark on the world and the way director Theo Rhys staged the scene and used the chorus was beautiful and set the tone to let viewers know that this is more than just a quirky musical, but don’t worry, it’s that too.
That isn’t the only time that Rhys mastered the staging of a musical number. I feel like a musical isn’t complete with someone singing their heart out while stomping and kicking things off of tables. Very Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. My favourite, however, involved a number between Araminta and Bernie entirely through a low-tech computer screen. Applicants’ pictures come alive to become the chorus, and two screens become one to create a wall between them. It was perfection.
Stuffed carried real emotional depth behind this odd premise, and both Comer and Melling mastered the balance of this fantastical story as the mask for something deeper. The existential crisis behind the idea of legacy and leaving a mark on the world is real, and a lot of those moments even brought tears to my eyes. I was genuinely surprised at Mellings’ abilities here, since I haven’t seen him since the Harry Potter series.
The real star of the show here, though, is Jodie Comer. Though I knew who she was, I wasn’t particularly familiar with her work. She comes off as kooky and insane to start, which Araminta absolutely is. But she manages to bring depth to her character and redeems how you feel about her time and time again in Stuffed.
Again, we are actively skinning animals and talking about stuffing humans, but Comer somehow brought Disney princess-like wonder to her numbers, which is a wild achievement considering what she is doing and talking about at any given time. There were moments she would weave an innocence and sincerity in with something mildly psychotic, and it worked so well to build her likeability. Her movement did the same in every scene. I am obsessed.
I can’t talk about Stuffed without talking about what I assume heavily inspired a lot of Araminta herself, Comer’s performance, and likely a lot of the atmosphere in the film, Sweeney Todd. I would have said just Helena Bonham Carter if it wasn’t for the setting. There are definitely a lot of similarities, like the dark tone and a spooky, wacky lead singing about the strangest things as if it’s nothing. Even the way Comer looks is reminiscent of her. I would be very surprised if she didn’t note her as an inspiration. All I can say is, Helena Bonham Carter, watch out; Jodie Comer has this character nailed.
Stuffed was a film at TIFF 2026 that I felt like was tossed on to me without a second thought, but I am so glad it was. I laughed, I cried, I was incredibly grossed out, and I wanted so much for these characters that once seemed so unremarkable. Stuffed is a great musical, a great film, and an outstanding time.
