Fairyland
A daughter and her openly gay poet father struggle to preserve their unconventional family as grief, adulthood, and illness reshape their lives in San Francisco.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- intimate
- wistful
- quiet evening
- reflective weekend
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a well-acted and emotionally resonant family drama with strong visual appeal, despite some narrative unevenness.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Alysia is given unusual independence by Steve while also feeling responsible for maintaining their bond and managing his limitations as a parent.
Steve raises Alysia in a San Francisco milieu shaped by poetry, shared living, openly gay relationships, and resistance to conventional domestic expectations.
Alysia’s transition into young adulthood is shadowed by terminal illness and the AIDS-era pressures surrounding her father’s life.
The family relocates to 1970s San Francisco, where Steve openly dates men amid a vibrant but socially contested bohemian environment.
Films like Fairyland, and why
20th Century Women
shared intimate coming-of-age drama, unconventional family dynamics, and 1970s California atmosphere
Beginners
shared father-child relationship, queer identity, grief, and reflective bittersweet tone
The Farewell
shared family grief, cultural identity, emotional restraint, and poignant intergenerational conflict
The Kids Are All Right
shared domestic drama centered on queer relationships, parenting, and family tensions
Movie Details
- Director
- Andrew Durham
- Release Date
- 2025-10-03
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (14)
Cast
- Emilia Jones
- Scoot McNairy
- Geena Davis
- Cody Fern
- Bella Murphy
- Adam Lambert
- Ryan Thurston
- Nessa Dougherty
- Trent Allen Davis
- Becky Leia
Common questions
- What is Fairyland about?
- A daughter and her openly gay poet father struggle to preserve their unconventional family as grief, adulthood, and illness reshape their lives in San Francisco.
- What is Fairyland like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Fairyland as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Fairyland violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Fairyland as mild.
- What did critics think of Fairyland?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a well-acted and emotionally resonant family drama with strong visual appeal, despite some narrative unevenness.
- Which films are like Fairyland?
- Films with a similar feel include 20th Century Women, Beginners, The Farewell, and The Kids Are All Right.
- How long is Fairyland?
- Fairyland runs 116 minutes.
