But...I AM real...aren't I?
Ok, all kidding aside Daniel Isn't Real is based off a novel called In This Way I Was Saved by Brian DeLeeuw. In the film, we follow troubled college freshman Luke (Miles Robbins, son of Tim Robbins. He previously appeared as Dave in Halloween 2018). He isn't having the easiest time in college as he is generally awkward and shy. It doesn't help that his mom, Claire (Mary Stuart Masterson), has Schizophrenia. Luke has his plate full, and so calls on a repressed childhood imaginary friend named Daniel (Patrick Schwarzenegger, son of Arnold) to assist. It isn't long before Claire has been shipped off to an institution and Luke is banging girls and discovering his creative side through photography with Daniel's help. He even manages to get a girlfriend in sweet and caring Cassie (Sasha Lane). Unfortunately, Daniel still has a chip on his shoulder about being repressed for so long. It isn't long before Daniel's assistance turns into true malice as he sets about driving Luke mad and begins to tear apart his life.
Patrick Schwarzenegger and Miles Robbins are both phenomenal and work incredibly well together. They have great chemistry and play off of each other to a superb degree. They are easily two of the year's best performances. That said, most will likely walk out of Daniel Isn't Real talking about Schwarzenegger's Daniel. Daniel starts out looking like the ultimate friend, the kind you always want backing you up. Schwarzenegger imbues his performance with a subtle menace that only grows as the film progresses. He makes being cool look effortless, and succeeds in also being quite scary and menacing when he needs to be. Schwarzenegger is also quite handsome, and it's unsettling how much he looks like his dad. It's almost like a mirror image...if said mirror was from a funhouse.
Miles Robbins plays Luke like he's disheveled and struggling, still trying to discover himself in some respects. Luke is mostly shy, awkward and lacks confidence (which is where Daniel comes into play). Robbins is believable and sympathetic in his role, and has some genuinely cool and impressive moments in the final act. He's super easy to root for. We want to see him overcome the overwhelmng odds that are stacked against him and succeed in the end.
Mary Stuart Masterson is very good as Luke's mom, Claire. She realistically plays a person who has succumbed to a terrible mental illness, but whose love for her son outweighs everything else and is the only thing that is able to bring her back to a state of semi-sanity at times. Sasha Lane is also likable as Luke's girlfriend, Cassie. She is placed in some danger near the end, and is the first to sense that all might not be as it appears with Luke. That said, she is consistently caring and supportive of our tortured hero, and is shown to worry about him when things start to spiral downhill.
Despite some real, impressive strengths, Daniel Isn't Real is certainly not without some flaws. Some events and twists are heavily telegraphed in advance, and subtlety is not this film's strong suit. The film feels like it's trying to comment on mental health, sanity, and madness...but it's thoughts and ideas aren't fully fleshed out. Daniel himself is a very interesting character, though it's never made clear exactly what he is, or what he represents (is he even supposed to represent something?). This could be viewed as either a negative or a positive, as it allows viewers' imaginations to run wild.
The cinematography by Lyle Vincent is often striking and gorgeous, employing lots of neon. Props also go to the nice practical effects used in the film, and the good synth-y score by Chris Clark. The direction and script by Adam Egypt Mortimer (Brian DeLeeuw also helped with the script) is good as well.
Daniel Isn't Real is a ballsy, ambitious film whose ideas aren't fully fleshed out, but is quite interesting nonetheless (There are certainly some intriguing ideas to chew on here). It's a damn shame that it didn't garner a wide theatrical release, as it is highly entertaining, fun, freaky, and houses two of the year's best performances. I feel that it is destined to gain a following as it is certainly one cool film. It definitely deserves a watch.
3.5 STARS
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