One of the big primetime screenings of the 2024 Dialogues Documentary Film Festival was WE CAN BE HEROES. And it was very easy to see why, as it was a big crowd pleaser. It’s clearly in the lineage of documentaries that were inspired by SPELLBOUND, teens and children involved in a niche activity that brings out their struggles and emotional life. WE CAN BE HEROES may have taken it to its farthest point with a Live Action Roleplaying (LARPing) camp being its focal point.
WE CAN BE HEROES focusses on the Wayfinder Camp which brings together kids and teens from all over the United States for a week of LARPing. With all of these documentaries, they look for standout interesting kids to feature. This one features Dexter, a shy, neurodivergent teen who has the ulterior motive of getting the phone number of a crush he met last Summer and also absolutely avoiding ticks, Cloud, one of the youngest members of the camp who just wants to hack and slash his way through the camp, Abby, a High School senior who’s missed most of the last year with medical issues and has a very visible feeding tube feeding her nutrition and self consciousness, and others. It’s noted early on that a lot of the campers are neurodivergent, and this seems to be a way for a lot to learn how to socialize as much as play to their fantasies. This group has a bunch of clans having to learn to work together, or not, as they find themselves in a collapsing world and have and opportunity to reshape it. Kind of heady subtext for a bunch of teens, most of whom still have to work up courage to talk to the opposite sex.
The main words to describe the film are “big hearted”. As the camp counselors say, everyone there is a star in their own story. In particular, the goal isn’t to “win”, so much as it is to fulfill their story arc. With Clerics abounding to heal the wounded and one of the first lessons being how to “die” dramatically, it’s not so much a competition as a theater camp for the fantasy inclined. And, we all know, theater kids are anything but boring watches on screen.
Combining some of the best aspects of summer camp films and some of the best aspects of D&D style roleplaying, we see in character and out of character arcs for almost all of the main characters. Dexter is a lot of fun as he has a combination of shyness to overcome and a vivid imagination, plus a coyly unrevealed crush to have us rooting for him. Cloud has a very emotional reason for being a focus which is revealed well into the film and puts a lot of things in perspective. And the rest, none of whom are probably the popular kids in school, all get various spotlights. Spotlights which are probably much needed as the schooling of all had been disrupted by COVID and they’re clearly all looking for a chance to connect.
It is a crowd pleaser. Alas, it doesn’t altogether break from the SPELLBOUND model and there’s a certain sense of familiarity with the film as a whole. I don’t see it changing anyone’s life, but it’s a good empathy machine, with the camp obviously being a cure for what ails a lot of these kids who are dealing with their own baggage and need a respite. I was mostly charmed myself.
Following the film, there was a charming Q&A with the makers of the film. Clearly they had fun making the film, and it shows in the final product.
The 2024 Dialogues Documentary Film Festival ran from September 26 to 29, 2024. Further information on the festival, and films that screened can be found at Milwaukee Film’s website.
