By: Amanda Guarragi
Young Angie Goodwin (Emma Kennedy) runs away after a horrific car crash to make her dream of becoming a superhero come true. The film begins with a voiceover of from Angie who tells the audience that she wants to become a superhero because the world is a very dark place. She wants to be that light for people and help those around her. After this car crash, it seems that Angie is taken by this deed to do good and help the people in her town. Kennedy gives a good performance and writer-director D. Mitry presents a sweet story of helping others.
The film is filled with compassion and empathy for those around her, especially her dad who she tracks down. Angie didn’t feel like her life would ever be fulfilled if she didn’t go on this quest. The film is difficult to sit through, as some scenes did drag on and the emotional connection to certain characters was lacking. But Angie’s connection with her father was probably the most wonderful thing about this film. Angie wants to help her father move on and get out of this rut that he is in. She wants to help him make the right decisions. And she ends up staying with him.
The film does feel messy at times because of all the storylines with the secondary characters. It was a bit hard to follow in trying to understand how Angie would be able to help everyone, since her primary focus was her father. The main takeaway from this film is that one person can be affected by a serious situation – like a car accident – and would want to change their life around for the greater good. What this film shows, is that trauma can alter your life in more ways than one. Angie took this in a positive light in wanting to help others. D. Mitry also leaves the film open-ended in regards to the mortality of Angie. How will she be able to help everyone? How can she be in two places at once? It was interesting to watch all of that unfold.
My True Fairytale takes the trauma of a young girl and creates a very positive outcome from it. It has been her dream to become a superhero and in the end she made others believe that they can be one too. Even though there are darker elements, especially when exploring the other characters in the story, it is still uplifting because of Angie. If you are a sucker for a father/daughter relationship like I am, then this is the film for you. It will lift spirits with the positive message and hopefully help others to be more like Angie. So many people are going through different situations and it is always helpful to just be kind to others.
Candid Cinema 