We Can Be Heroes is a 2024 American documentary film directed by Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons.[1] The film follows kids at a live action role-playing summer camp in upstate New York.[2] It premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, where it won a special jury award “for bravery and empathy.”[3]
| We Can Be Heroes | |
|---|---|
 Directors Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons | |
| Directed by | Carina Mia Wong, Alex Simmons |
| Produced by | Davis Guggenheim |
| Cinematography | Peter Alton |
| Edited by | Rebecca Adorno, Alex Simmons |
| Music by | Dan Deacon |
Production companies | Concordia Studio, Muck Media |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Synopsis
editThe film begins with three children in their homes talking about their lives. They are all eager to attend a live action role play (LARP) camp run by The Wayfinder Experience. Cloud loves swordplay. Derek writes fantasy novels and has crush on someone he met at camp last year. Abby graduated high school after surviving severe health complications which require a feeding tube, and she worries she is not healthy enough for camp.
Counselors and kids arrive at the camp in upstate New York. Many of the campers are neurodivergent. Two writers have created a frame for the LARP called "The Last Green" about a fairy world that is eroding. Campers practice feigning death, which many say is cathartic.
For two days, they LARP in "The Last Green", breaking character at the end of each day and decompressing with each other. Cloud goes overboard during the game. Derek is dreadfully afraid of ticks but overcomes his fear. Abby is thrilled to be able to attend. During the game, she plays a Healer and plans to return to the camp as a counselor.
Release
editWe Can Be Heroes premiered at the South by Southwest on March 9, 2024.[4] It is currently seeking a distributor on the festival circuit. It has been programmed at the Seattle International Film Festival, Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival, Sheffield DocFest, Mountainfilm, and the Nashville Film Festival.[5][6][7][8][9] It won the Audience Award for Documentary at the Woodstock Film Festival.[10][11] It was awarded Best Documentary Feature at the Nevada City Film Festival.[12]
Reception
editThe film scored 89% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 9 reviews. The Hollywood Reporter saw it as a companion text to the Boys State and Girls State films and concluded, "More than any documentary I’ve seen, and without even a whiff of politics, Wong and Simmons’ film shows the real cost of loneliness and persuasively illustrates how, even in a situation with hexes, spells and elixirs, companionship is the truest magic of all."[13] The Austin Chronicle wrote, "The special thing about We Can Be Heroes, from directors Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons, is that it centers on kids."[14] The Stranger raved, "[it] lands somewhere between Game of Thrones and Glee on a watchability scale—which, yes, is a compliment."[15] Culture Vulture wrote, "Your heart goes out to all of these kids...and it’s fun to witness their achingly relatable arcs across the film’s breezy 86-minute running time."[16]
References
edit- ^ "'We Can Be Heroes' Review: LARP Community Gives Outcast Teens Solace in Oddball Documentary". indiewire.com. March 9, 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
- ^ Fienberg, Daniel (2024-03-10). "'We Can Be Heroes' Review: A Big-Hearted Celebration of LARP-ing Teens". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
- ^ "SXSW Film & TV Festival Awards". SXSW. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
- ^ "2024 Schedule". SXSW. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "We Can Be Heroes". Seattle International Film Festival. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "We Can Be Heroes". Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Events". Arc Cinema UK/IE. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
- ^ "We Can Be Heroes". Mountainfilm Festival. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Film Guide". Nashville Film Festival. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "2024 Award Winners". Woodstock Film Festival. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "We Can Be Heroes". Woodstock Film Festival. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ "Best of the Fest". Nevada City Film Festival. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Fienberg, Daniel. "‘We Can Be Heroes’ Review: A Big-Hearted Celebration of LARP-ing Teens", The Hollywood Reporter. March 10, 2024.
- ^ Machen, Rod. "SXSW Film Review: We Can Be Heroes", The Austin Chronicle. March 10, 2024.
- ^ Machkovich, Sam et al. "We Watched Dozens of SIFF Films (and You Can Too!)", The Stranger. May 8, 2024.
- ^ Osborne, Andrew. "We Can Be Heroes (2024)". Culture Vulture.