Within the first five minutes, you’ll know if The Fairy is for you. Dominique Abel (also co-writer and co-director) plays Dom, a hapless night clerk at a shabby hotel. When Fiona (Fiona Gordon, also co-writer and director) shows up, tells Dom she’s a fairy and offers him three wishes, you’ll know the film walks the fine line of being whimsical without slipping into obnoxiousness. Hopefully you’ll give the film the benefit of the doubt, because it’s one of the most purely enjoyable theatrical experiences I’ve had all year.
The Fairy reminded me of the later Jacques Tati films like Mon Oncle and Play Time mixed with the raw physical humor of Buster Keaton. The film is a little long, but only in the way that it sometimes feels like too much of a good thing. It also has the best damn dance scene I’ve seen in years, in case you’re into that sort of thing. It’s an effortlessly breezy 90 minutes at the movies that’ll leave you feeling a little lighter in your step.
The Fairy is playing at Tin Pan Theater. Check Tinpantheater.com for showtimes.
This article appears in Jun 14-20, 2012.
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