My True Fairytale

A filmmaker's love for his late daughter manifests on screen with this touching, if occasionally uneven, drama with fable-like elements about holding on and forgiving those you love. My True Fairytale should come with an intro that explains director D. Mitry's personal motivation: The movie is dedicated to his late daughter, who died in a car accident at 17. That's not to say that the movie's errors in execution should be overlooked, but it's easier to forgive the film's flaws and focus on its hopeful aspects if you know the backstory. The ethereal, otherworldly parts of the movie telegraph what's really going on, so the power of the reveal is somewhat underwhelming, but it's always clear that Angie's impact on others is positive, generous, and life-altering.

Angie's effect on her father's and best friends' futures is the movie's biggest highlight. Kennedy and Ingolfsson have decent father-daughter chemistry, and their characters' honest discussions are moving. Some of the subplots with the random interconnected side characters, however, are less dynamic -- even though all of the threads come together (in a predictable way) in the end. Lindholm and Mitchell give standout performances as Sarah and Andre, a teen couple so sweet and supportive that it's almost ridiculously obvious why her mother isn't happy about their relationship. Taylor Cole (a Hallmark movie veteran) is also impressive as Dean's girlfriend, who calls him out on his emotional distance. This passion project is far from perfect, but it has a lot of heart and, with that in mind, will be particularly moving for parents.