Overlook Film Festival 2024 – Though Bookworm (Ratón de biblioteca) is set in Spain in 1979, I suspect the plight of its protagonist, Irene (Aria Bedmar), will be relatable to anyone who’s ever found solace and comfort in a library book as a means to escape to another world from page to page. That’s part of what director Javier Yañez Sanz‘s film captures so well, the alure of a library and reading. Oh, and there’s a ghost.

Not only does Irene love books, but she wants to be a writer. The only problem is that those closest to her don’t take her seriously. In fact, her mom (Andrea Guardiola) tries to hook her up with a man who just landed a factory job. That is not the life Irene envisions for herself. No, she wants to write short stories. Like any artist, she’s an outsider. Because she can’t find anyone who understands her, it gnaws at her. The artist/writer as an outsider is nothing new, but Bedmar’s performance makes us sympathize with Irene’s struggles and self-doubt. Irene seems like a kind soul who just wants to focus on her craft and find an audience, despite society’s expectations for her as a young woman.

However, the library is haunted by a ghost (Manuel Tejera) who looks like your average young man, except the fact you never see his face. He browses shelves and then disappears, leaving the book to crash to the ground, its pages fluttering open. Irene becomes obsessed with learning more about the ghost. Likely, she thinks she can find a friend in another bookworm. It’s a great concept and executed generally well, as is the setting of the library and its power to suck its occupants into another world.

The short’s last minute or two really leans into straight horror, yet there’s a fantastic quality to it that fits with the rest of the tone. Overall, Bookworm, at its best moments, feels as captivating as a good novel. I’d love to spend more time in Irene and the ghost’s world.

8 Out of 10