SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026 REVIEW! Just a year ago, the Eaton Canyon and Palisades fires ripped through two communities, destroying tens of thousands of homes. In Going for Home, documentarian Eric Simonson shows us the aftermath of the Eaton Canyon fire and a community coming together after tragedy through the lens of baseball.
Instead of making a documentary solely about the fire, Simonson takes us to the community of Altadena—a small suburb just outside of Pasadena. Not only did the fire disrupt the lives of thousands of families, but it also forced the cancellation of Little League because the field was destroyed, and there were environmental concerns. An estimated 60 to 90% of Little League families were affected by the fire, making a season a top priority. Little League mattered because it could bring the community together and give children something to do to take their minds off the damage, but without a season, they didn’t have that outlet. The solution would be simple, as Central Altadena Little League partnered with West Pasadena Little League to make a season work.
Going for Home walks us down two paths. The first documents Central Altadena’s Little League season, showing how the community banded together to build unity. In a way, it made the kids stronger and helped them navigate the aftermath off the field. It was a haven away from their tough reality, even as they knew their teammates and neighbors were going through the same experiences.
Aerial view of destruction in the wake of the Eaton Canyon fire, featured in Going for Home.
“…a community coming together after tragedy through the lens of baseball.”
The other path is the tragedy itself. Going for Home is not an investigative exposé about corruption, bureaucracy, or people feeling forgotten, but it does touch on how the government can fail its people. While there is a question of whether the fires could have been prevented, what is certain is that the damage did not have to be as pervasive as it became. The film covers the lack of water, the problems with rebuilding their homes and lives, and, worse, the corporate wolves and real estate investors smelling blood in the water.
Filmmaker Simonson goes for the human story, interviewing families who lost everything. We’re told stories of escaping the fire only to return and find nothing. Also, stories of family-owned homes hoping to pass them on to the next generation, along with the fleeting hope their homes could ever be rebuilt. That’s the theme of these discussions… everything. For parents, it’s the loss of everything they had built in terms of homes and memories… all gone. For the kids, it’s about witnessing firsthand how their parents dealt with adversity. Many had never seen their parents cry, and many of the kids became emotional support for them.
Fifteen years ago, I was in a situation where a fire was threatening my community. I remember thinking exactly what one of the victims said: “It would have to go through thousands of homes before it gets to me.” I was lucky. I live far from the fires, and yet I still feel angry at our feckless state and city governments for failing to help families rebuild. Despite a useless bureaucracy, Going for Home shows how important local communities are to one another—and that there is hope.
Going for Home screened at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
"…Many had never seen their parents cry, and many of the kids became emotional support for them."
