Daniel Isn’t Real (Adam Egypt Mortimer, 2019)

As a child, Luke (Miles Robbins) had an imaginary friend named Daniel (Patrick Schwarzenegger).

Together they would get into all kinds of hijinks.

Now an adult, Luke and Daniel have been reunited.

This was one of those movies that I heard about and kept it in my back pocket. It came out fairly quickly in New Zealand - it is unpredictable how indie horror/genre movies like this will get released down here. I am still waiting for Madaline’s Madeline which kicked up a storm on the festival circuit five years ago.

Daniel Isn’t Real is one of those movies which people should watch without prior knowledge. I saw some images and the cast, and that was about it.

In premise, the movie feels like a grungier, horror version of Fight Club’s big twist.

The big difference is that Daniel is presented as his imaginary friend from the beginning.

When Daniel starts doing things that imaginary friends cannot do, the film’s title comes into question.

The film is pleasingly small-scale, the special effects are mostly practical and contrast between dull, muted real-world and the psychedelic colour palette introduced by Daniel is striking.

I really like this movie.

 

I also have some questions in terms of its character development and themes. My knowledge of mental health is not great so I cannot analyse its depiction here. 

(And before I go further, there will be spoilers.)

One of the movie’s most frightening turns is when it  makes a definitive separation between Luke’s mental state and the true nature of his friend.

I have no familiarity with either Patrick Schwarzenegger or Miles Robbins’s previous work, and it adds to the movie's sense of unpredictability. 

One of the weird juxtapositions of this movie is the combination of its stars, the children of Hollywood icons, and its Lo-fi, independent spirit.

And it is a testament to both performers that they are plugged in to the movie.

The film is a two-hander between Robbins and Schwarzenegger.

Robbins walks the line between sympathetic wallflower and walking time bomb. It is always odd when characters like Luke are also romantic leads, but there is a weird sense of decency to Robbins' performance that makes that development somewhat more believable.

Schwarzenegger's resemblance to his father is sometimes uncanny, but he has a completely different vibe.

He brings a loose, berserker energy to Daniel. He does not employ a lot of histrionics, but there is an electricity behind him that is compelling. Even before he begins to turn Luke's world topsy-turvy, there is a dead-eyed maliciousness to Schwarzenegger which inflects every scene he is in.

While the acting across the board is good, on repeat viewings certain elements began to stick out.

Primarily, it becomes clear that every other character feels like a sketch - on one hand, it adds to the sense of discombobulation and feeling like you are trapped inside Luke’s head.

I wanted more meat on Luke’s relationship with his mother (Mary Stuart Masterson), and her struggles with her mental health.

By the end of the movie, her role seems to have been to be a red herring for the film’s big twist. It felt like the theme of mental health was somewhat trivialized. 

The other prime example is Cassie (Sasha Lane), a struggling artist who catalyzes Luke’s passion - Lane is an interesting presence who always brings something unique to her roles. There is something unstudied about her that plays so well on camera.

She is also the light to Daniel’s darkness. While her art is chaotic, it is not destructive. Daniel is the dark side of creativity - he feeds on selfishness and narcissism.

What is disappointing about Cassie is that it feels like the filmmakers tried to bottle Sasha Lane’s unique qualities into an arty weirdo archetype. That would be fine as a starting point but the character does not get much of an opportunity to grow.

She is not quite a manic pixie dream girl but it feels like a slight waste of an actor.

On the flip side, one of the film’s strengths is how claustrophobic it begins to feel. The sidelining of other characters is purposeful as Luke becomes more detached from the world.

As the movie nears the climax, and Daniel’s true nature comes into focus, the movie becomes more off-kilter.

I am torn on this - on the one hand I could not grasp the rules governing Daniel’s powers; on the other hand, it is refreshing to see a horror movie where it is impossible to figure out what is going on. There is an anarchy and irreverence to the climax that I loved. 

Daniel Isn't Real is a fascinating film. And while it is dark, it is also a lot of fun. Unlike a lot of contemporary horror movies, the film never feels like it has to commit to a single grim tone. It feels like the story has a chance to breath.

There is also an economy and a lack of pretentiousness to the story-telling that gives it an extra charge.

In that spirit, enough rambling. If you are tired of slasher sequels and are looking for something original and under two hours, check out Daniel Isn't Real.