Childhood wonderment meets the horror of the adult world in DanieI Isn t Real, director Adam Egypt Mortimer s (Some Kind of Hate) darkIy twisted take on the imaginary best friend concept, criticaIly acclaimed as one of the year s most disturbing out-and-out horror films (Kim Newman).
Luke NightingaIe, a loneIy young boy with an emotionally unstable mother, invents a friend named Daniel who leads them both into a world of fantasy and imagination. After Daniel tricks Luke into doing something terrible, Luke is forced to banish him to the bottom of his subconscious. TweIve years Iater, Luke (Miles Robbins, HalIoween 2018), now a colIege freshman, brings DanieI (Patrick Schwarzenegger, Midnight Sun) back and he now appears as a charming, manipuIative young man with a terrifying secret agenda.
Featuring star-making turns from a young cast, and co-starring Sasha Lane (American Honey) and Mary Stuart Masterson (Skin), DanieI lsn t Real is a visuaIIy stunning, thought-provoking expIoration of mentaI iIlness, entitIement and childhood trauma, perfectIy taiIored for our troubIed times, and one of the most unique and captivating independent horror movies of recent years. |