My True Fairytale is reminiscent of Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones in its heartrending depiction of a father dealing with the death of his daughter and her journey in the afterlife to help her loved ones left behind on Earth. After 17-year-old Angie Goodwin (Emma Kennedy) dies in a car accident, she makes it her mission to fulfill her childhood dream of becoming a superhero in her very own fairytale. How will she achieve this goal? By helping her family and friends overcome their animosities and conflicts, as well as teaching them to appreciate their loved ones and set aside any of their differences.
My True Fairytale is a beautiful, if not a slightly saccharine portrait of a beautiful young girl whose grace and kindness radiates out of Kennedy's sparkling performance. She is truly the film's beacon of light. The sweet, bright-eyed Angie is a film version of D. Mitry's own daughter who also died in a car accident at age 17.
D. Mitry's drama is an exercise in grief and healing that occasionally suffers a muddied script; the mystery and thriller elements are not as strong as the moving familial drama at the heart of the film. The hazy subplot about the search for Angie's body is nowhere near as intriguing as the arresting intimate dramas between her surviving friends, their parents, and Angie's grieving family.
The soundtrack, while often pleasant and touching, can be overbearing and maudlin in places. Nevertheless, My True Fairytale is a true labor of love whose personal touches make for a profound watch. Darri Ingolfsson delivers a powerful performance in the poignant father-daughter scenes; he stands alongside an exceptional supporting cast, especially Angie's friends who struggle in the aftermath of their friend's untimely death.
My True Fairytale builds towards a heartwarming conclusion about the importance of love and forgiveness. This empathetic sensibility is sometimes lost when the plot wanders away from Angie's plight, but when has mourning someone ever been clear-cut? In some ways, the film's aimlessness is symbolic of D. Mitry's own personal struggles with grief. The majority of the My True Fairytale's emotional weight comes from his real-life tragedy, but overall it is a poetic and personal meditation on mourning with a tear-jerking finale. D. Mitry should be very proud of this beautiful work that honors his daughter.