Intense fandom is quite a thing to behold, particularly for those that aren’t involved in it. Whether it’s Star Wars, comic books, baseball cards, quilting, stamps — or in the case of A Brony Tale, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic — fanaticism can seem odd and sometimes creepy. Brent Hodge’s documentary on adult male My Little Pony fandom tackles those notions head on and the film winds up being much more than an exploration of one sect of fandom, but a universal portrayal of what fandom — of anything — can be at its best.

Hodge’s film follows friend and voice actor Ashleigh Ball, the voice of My Little Pony characters Applejack and Rainbow Dash, as she tries to navigate the waters of Bronies when she’s invited to Bronycon in NYC. This is a unique insight right off the bat, the experience of someone who sort of fell into massive fan-centric celebrity by way of doing voice work for a show that became a phenomenon. We get to see the effect the Bronies have had on her career, including increasing the success of her band, with Bronies turning out in droves to see them play.

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