Sundance 2023: Fairyland
Sundance Film FestivalBased on Alysia Abbott's memoir, Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father, Andrew Durham's Fairyland is a loving look at a single father named Steve (Scoot McNairy) who moves to San Francisco with his young daughter Alysia (Emilia Jones) following the tragic death of his wife in a car accident. While in San Francisco, Alysia discovers her dad is actually a gay man who was trying to make it work with his wife but now is able to live his authentic life and encourages Alysia to follow her dreams. While there is a love shared between the two, there is also tension as Alysia is forced to grow up quickly and navigate her way through complex emotions that only become more urgent as the AIDS crisis flares up.
While one might think that the narrative of Fairyland would be a simple one of love and acceptance, the truth is far from it. There is never a question within the film on if Steve loves his daughter and is doing his best, but there is also room for the complexities of their relationship to shine and grow. It is only natural that Alysia would react hostilely to her entire world changing and the picture she had of her loving parents being altered and ruined by the reality of the situation. This brings a fit of anger out of Alysia that sees rebellion and homophobia in a way that carries both empathy and judgment for the young hurting soul. She is a kid who needs to lash out and only has one thing to latch onto for this.
Nessa Dougherty plays Alysia as a young kid and attention needs to be given to Dougherty's complex portrayal of these emotions which never loses the charm and innocence of being a young kid. As Alysia ages, Emilia Jones takes over and possibly gives her best work to date as she begins to find herself and reexamine her relationship with her dad. Along the way, Scoot McNairy is stunning as a father conflicted between trying to live his authentic life with the everyday struggles and threats as a gay man while also trying to be there for his daughter and be the rock she needs. This is a complex and difficult dynamic that the film showcases with clear skill and a loving heart.
As the film progresses, tragedy is found through the rise of AIDS. While other films have covered the crisis, Fairyland does a heartbreakingly strong job of truly capturing the size of the crisis and the loss of life it leaves in its path. When Alysia comes back to San Francisco after studying in Paris, she finds that entire communities she once knew are now gone. There was no grand conclusion for these individuals who got to see the liberation of the gay community and the wider acceptance of today, instead, many died scared and alone. It is a tragedy almost unbearable to accept yet the film does a wonderful job of giving the audience a message with purpose and poignance that these individuals' efforts must not be lost and that we must keep them alive through media and actions. This is a message that has clearly altered the path of Alysia Abbott and has led to Fairyland as a cinematic effort.
Fairyland is a beautiful feature that gives a personal new reflection to the library of modern queer texts. With incredible performances, a complex soul, and a truly loving heart; Fairyland is one of the most moving films of the year and hopefully will find the right audiences to engage with the film's beautiful depths.
