Local heroes given chance to shine on the big screen

By Ginna Young

It’s been four years in the making, with much anticipation in the waiting of its release, but The Best of Us, is now showing. The documentary, created by filmaker Benjamin Cook, shows what really goes on behind the scenes in a fire department – in this case, Cook’s hometown Cornell Area Fire Department.

The Best of Us has already won awards, including Best Feature Documentary at the Madison Film Festival, and is now showing at the Micon Downtown Cinema. In just 12 hours, the Friday of the showing sold out, but because of the success, the theater added more screenings for the next two nights, and up to Nov. 22.

A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Cornell Area Fire Department, as it is near and dear to Cook’s heart, and filled with local heroes.

As a kid, Cook was no stranger to hearing the toner go off when getting his hair cut at the local barbershop, since it was owned by fire chief Denny Klass. It also wasn’t unusual to hear the scanner in the background when at a friend’s house.

“It wasn’t until years later, when I read Mike Perry’s Population 485, about the volunteer fire department in New Auburn, that I put it all together,” said Cook. “Flash forward to 2021, I came across a Facebook post about Justin Fredrickson (Cornell firefighter) being shot on a call and how the community rallied around him.”

Cook then knew he needed to let others know what departments go through, especially rural ones, which are volunteer, meaning no one sits at the fire station and waits for a call. Instead, they are living their lives at work, school, sporting events and birthday cookouts. But, when the tones sound, they drop everything to respond.

“It’s about how community-minded we are in the northwoods,” said Cook. “Sure, we might have a veneer of toughness, but I can see the love folks have for their neighbors/community members. I think it comes through so strongly, in the fact that people volunteer their time to take care of each other.”

It also made Cook think about how volunteering as a whole, is dropping across the nation, and how that impacts rural fire departments, which is why the documentary looks to inspire others to give of themselves, to help in time of need.

“So, communities have to rely on neighboring towns for fire response,” said Cook. “What does that say about community in the 21st century? I wanted to explore that and I found even more, making this film.”