There are many words I could use to describe Bagworm, but the most appropriate and encompassing is ‘wild’. It is a film about many things and can be interpreted in a myriad of compelling ways. This story makes us question reality alongside our lead character. At the same time, there is a brilliance in recognizing he is just going through some things, like we all are. Darkly amusing and chaotic from start to finish, this is a weird film that is impossible to ignore or dislike.
The character of Carroll is a sexually frustrated hammer salesman. His life is a series of missteps and apathy. He sees catastrophe around every corner and is shaped by the decline of morality. And then he steps on a rusty nail. In a split second, he begins anew, in a weird way. He is searching for romance, shedding toxic friendships, and embarking on a fight for truth. All the while battling a deteriorating mindset and raging health issues. As self-destruction becomes imminent, Carroll must confront the ultimate question: are we doomed, or is he just dying of tetanus?
From the outset, Bagworm is smart, presenting Carroll as someone on the edge. All around are signs of the end times, and yet if we look at it in the context of actuality, everything happening around him is the same run-of-the-mill theatrics that go on day in and day out. By stepping on a rusty nail, the wavering house of cards that is his mindset comes toppling down. The rusty nail catalyzes him, almost becoming the living embodiment of the phrase: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” And yet, it is so darkly amusing because the film presents itself as a rollercoaster ride, where we never know quite how much is real or the result of a bacterial infection.
I will not spoil the outcome. There will likely be great discussion about the finale and the film’s meaning. There is a lot more than the trigger of Carroll stepping on a nail. The story is bigger and more profound. Take even the title, Bagworm, which refers to a family of moths with wingless female plant-feeding larvae that live in a silk case made from plant debris. To put it bluntly, they are highly destructive to trees and shrubbery—a perfect metaphor for the state of Carroll’s mind and the world around him.
The world in this film is larger-than-life yet feels like a mirror of our current time and place. There are moments of genuine uncomfortableness and queasy-inducing triggers, but the effect is not for pure gross-out. There is never a desire to rinse off the slime; instead, Bagworm presents warts and all. It is chaotic and volatile. Carroll is our eyes, and it is a tour de force watching him move from one outrageous situation to the next.
The sicker he becomes, the more his world begins to rot and collapse. Even as he is making a stand to bring some order to his life, like cutting out the toxicity in the form of friendships and past relationships, he still faces a foreboding sense that things are out of control. Here is where Peter Falls shines in the role. For what is essentially a black comedy, Falls creates in Carroll a sort of everyman who serves as a composite of real-world people. He never leans too hard into the comedic elements, nor does he create a character dripping with sympathy.
Now, not every element gels. It is a film that at times becomes lost amid its gnarly imagery and chaotic plot. Still, these are minor knocks in another creative and absolutely bonkers story.
Bagworm is about many things, and that is by design. There are moments in the film that are insightful. And at the same time, there are times when I have to turn away from the oozy-doozy imagery. It is darkly hilarious, yet dripping with as much pathos as it does goo. It is weird, but I mean that as a compliment. Audiences will see a myriad of themes and stories beneath the rotting world presented. And if not, there is no doubt that there will not be a wilder film before their eyes. It is a film that made me want to look away, and yet I could not help but wait and watch the madness unfold.
Bagworm held its North American Premiere as part of the Visions section of the 2026 SXSW TV & Film Festival.
Director: Oliver Bernsen
Screenwriter: Henry Bernsen
Rated: NR
Runtime: 96m
Darkly amusing and chaotic from start to finish, this is a weird film that is impossible to ignore or dislike.
Writing & podcasting, for the love of movies.
His Letterboxd Favorites: The Dark Knight, Halloween, Jaws & A Christmas Story.
