Review of Fireheart

Fireheart (2022)
6/10
Not bad for kids, but not recommended for firefighters
23 February 2022
As a female firefighter I am probably not the target audience for this film, but thought I might be able to offer a useful perspective given the subject matter. The concept of the film is unique, and kids (and maybe even some parents) would probably find it to be a fun adventure along the lines of Scooby Doo, but firefighters may find it hard to like.

It comes across as a film that tries to show what firefighters do in an age-appropriate way, while still containing plenty of the fun elements that appeal to kids. While this may be fine for its target audience, the result is a sufficiently inaccurate (and at times illogical) depiction of firefighting that will likely be a frustrating watch for a firefighter. But not just that, this is not a film where you can sit your kids down in front of it and tell them, "this is what mummy/daddy does". It's just too dissimilar.

Going into this film, I was concerned the 'woman fighting the patriarchy' plot point might be overdone to the point of being grating, but it actually had a much smaller role than I expected, and was handled fairly well, and was more just used to set the stage for later events.

It's worth mentioning that there's probably no trigger warnings for firefighters in this film. It is significantly sanitised since it's directed at a young audience, and I don't recall even seeing any open flame, just smoke. There's also no blood, gore, violence, car accidents, or character death. However, like most firefighting films that are not made with accuracy in mind, expect to be yelling at the tv a lot.

Firefighters, by all means let your kids watch this one, but if you join them don't expect to find it all that great yourself. Also, be prepared to field a few questions where you have to explain all the ways firefighting isn't like this movie.
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