Surely a breakout favorite will be Shard Dorpington, the glass-throated child who’s completely immersed in the persona of their LARP character. Tailormade for Tumblr memes, Shard represents the magical realism at the heart of We Can Be Heroes’s fascinating exploration. As we attempt to embody fantasy in our own lives, are we truly taking one step closer to altering our realities? The movie promises to deliver a range of answers that will help us find our own.
The tense string score by Dan Deacon ratchets up the intensity of the documentary, adding a sense of suspense to the intensely intimate footage of the film’s participants. It’s an approach that brings a welcome sense of drama, doing justice to the vivid role play practiced by the documentary’s stars.
The movie is a joint production between Concordia Studio (Davis Guggenheim’s production company) and Muck Media, and released by Tribeca Films. Kicking off Tribeca’s summer slate, the studio is focusing on bold storytelling from emerging talent, accompanying We Can Be Heroes with a wide range of genres and perspectives.
Co-director Carina Mia Wong has an extensive background in television news production, beginning with Vice in 2016. Alex Simmons began with music videos in 2008, soon graduating to producing and directing television documentaries. He made his feature directorial debut with Buddymoon in 2016, and recently worked with Wong on the television series Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller.
We Can Be Heroes hits streaming services including Kanopy, Kinema, Fandango At Home, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime Video on Tuesday, July 29th.