Imagination (2007)

Dr. Reineger is a child neuro-psychologist who has become confident that the twin Anna has a rare form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome, rendering her unable to cope with reality. As ... See full summary »

Director:

Eric Leiser

Writer:

Eric Leiser

Stars:

Ed K. Gildersleeve, Nikki Haddad, Jessi Haddad

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ed K. Gildersleeve	...	Dr. Reineger
Nikki Haddad	...	Anna Woodruff
Jessi Haddad	...	Sarah Woodruff
Courtney Sanford	...	Janice Woodruff
Travis Poelle	...	Roland Woodruff
Anthony Caraday	...	Young Doctor Reineger
Bob Gerlach	...	Pastor Bob
Laura Leiser	...	Receptionist
Kevin Le	...	Kevin
John Le	...	John
Jason Byrne	...	Search party
Laina Kim	...	Funeral attendee / search party
Sebastian Brown	...	Search party
Burton Bush	...	Funeral attendee
Melissa Haddad	...	Funeral attendee

Storyline

Dr. Reineger is a child neuro-psychologist who has become confident that the twin Anna has a rare form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome, rendering her unable to cope with reality. As for her blind sister, Sarah, the Doctor cannot say for sure why her visions map so closely to Anna's. At home, their father leaves the family. To escape the pain, the girls sink deeper and deeper into their imaginations. When a major earthquake takes their mother's life, Reineger is left with helping the now-orphaned twins cope, while at the same time dealing with his own struggle concerning the girls' prophetic visions. The girls escape the institution. The subsequent search party can't track them. Have they indeed transcended the physical realm?

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Plot Keywords:

twins | imagination | asperger's syndrome | autism | visionary | 

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Taglines:

Twin girls overcome physical limitations to learn the secrets of heaven and nature.

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Genres:

Fantasy

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 February 2008 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$110,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Albino Fawn Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Sarah Woodruff: But the fawn makes everything so clear!
Anna Woodruff: Of course it does, but mom and dad can't see. They forgot what it means to dream. They use our disabilities as an excuse not to believe.

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Connections

References Eclectic Shorts by Eric Leiser (2004)

User Reviews

visionary indie artfilm

visionary indie artfilm offers disjointed scenes of great imagination: "Imagination" is bold and excellent personal spiritual art; many sights and sounds are utterly magical and memorably symbolic. However this doesn't mean the film can satisfy commercial standards, or even that many art house audiences will be able to enjoy it. The hauntingly original animation and varied dreamlike music, which complement each other well and remain sincerely accessible throughout, do ensure a certain level of general appreciation. Students of film will admire techniques combining stop motion puppets, drawn animation, time lapse, and more. It's the other problems that will push away mainstream viewers, including amateurish live acting (poor casting decisions were clearly made, though the girls are sweet and the psychiatrist is passable), naive non-credible scripting (much better dialogue was needed to set up a doctor who gets custody of recently orphaned special-needs children in an stark alienating lab), and unimpressive uneven cinematography. Truly the soul doesn't care about such flaws and limitations, since spiritual growth is all about sincerity and hitting the high points, which this film has in abundance. There are scenes that will stay with you, especially those set in the mythic woods of eyed trees that was previously released in a stand-alone short called "Forest". Unlike Hollywood, the soul cares about quality rather than quantity. If an artwork has even just an audience of one that is deeply touched, then it will resonate to endure and change the universe forever. In this regard, Imagination is tremendously successful.