I feel at times that the Seattle International Film Festival is like a “SxSW Catchup” festival for me, as earlier this week I was presented with this lovely documentary that has been making its way across the festival circuit and another one I missed in Austin.
About: Hidden in New York’s Hudson Valley, far from the mundane world we know, the six fairy courts converge at the Last Green to combat an overwhelming force of devastation that threatens to destroy their legendary realm. Sometimes finding your fellow adventurers requires a bit of magic. For attendees of Wayfinder, a live action role-playing (LARP) camp, the deeply accepting environment gives neurodivergent, queer, and self-proclaimed “nerdy” teens a space for self-discovery that has eluded them elsewhere. There’s Dexter—author of the three-volume “Song of Atlantis”—who seeks to reunite with his crush while avoiding ticks. First-time camper Cloud, a master of the blade, practices sword-fighting two hours a day. Meanwhile, Abby’s return to camp marks their attempt to reclaim some semblance of a “normal” life after being diagnosed with a debilitating chronic illness. As these campers and others immerse themselves in an epic three-day campaign, they discover inner strengths and resilience, heal traumas, and emerge as heroes, both in the fantasy realm and in real life. Bursting with warmth, humor, and empathy, We Can Be Heroes celebrates those fleeting but profoundly formative moments that make up the most intense years of adolescence—all with a little help from foam swords. (Credit: Dan Doody)
Reaction: I really wish I was exposed to role-play games like this growing up. It seems like such a fun experience that is an enhanced version of when my mom would tell me to “go outside and play”. WE CAN BE HEROES is a fun and lively documentary about child role-players who are so passionate, funny and themselves that you fall under its spell pretty quickly. The filmmakers take their time with its interview subjects who are so enormously likeable while also going back and forth between cinematic and documentary style when we see our LARP’ers in action. At 90 minutes this movie just breezes by as you get really into this culture. At its core, it makes me also think that I act very much like this when it comes to planning to attend film festivals, like this one.
