Young Men and Fire (2018) Camden International Film Festival 2018

In an age of unending forest fires Young Men And Fire is a timely and vital film. It is a sterling little film about a group of men training to fight forest fighters. Coming from a diverse sampling of people they all come together to become a team.

Having been raised as a fire brat who lived and died fire department stuff because my dad was a volunteer fire fighter, this film was a return to the eight year old version of myself. Had I known that I could have trained to fight fires like this I would have been all over it.

Following guys from orientation through to their deployment in the field we really get a sense of what it takes to do the job. We are with the guys every step of the way and it pays off with a connection that we don’t often get in many films. We like these guys and by the end they kind of become family, if not to have home for Thanksgiving then to hang out with and have a beer.

I really like the film a great deal, so much so that I am kind of hoping it shows up at some more festivals or on TV so I can have an excuse to see it again without any sort of guilt.