Neverwas (2005)

A well-educated psychiatrist leaves an academic career to work at an institution where his father, a novelist, lived before writing a renowned children's book. Acclimating to his position, ... See full summary »

Director:

Joshua Michael Stern

Writer:

Joshua Michael Stern

Stars:

Aaron Eckhart, Ian McKellen, Brittany Murphy

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aaron Eckhart	...	Zach Riley
Ian McKellen	...	Gabriel Finch
Brittany Murphy	...	Maggie Paige
Nick Nolte	...	T.L. Pierson
Jessica Lange	...	Katherine Pierson
William Hurt	...	Dr. Peter Reed
Bill Bellamy	...	Martin Sands
Alan Cumming	...	Jake
Vera Farmiga	...	Eleanna
Michael Moriarty	...	Dick
Ken Roberts	...	Terrence
Cynthia Stevenson	...	Sally
Lorena Gale	...	Judy
Tabitha St. Germain	...	Receptionist
Tim Henry	...	Husky Sheriff

Storyline

A well-educated psychiatrist leaves an academic career to work at an institution where his father, a novelist, lived before writing a renowned children's book. Acclimating to his position, he encounters a schizophrenic who helps him to discover the book's secrets and his place in the story.

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Plot Keywords:

book | secret | novelist | psychiatrist | children's book | 

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Taglines:

Every fairy tale needs its hero.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic issues

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 2006 (Bulgaria)

Also Known As:

Eikunagi

Filming Locations:

Nelson, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,246

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kingsgate Films, Legacy Filmworks, Neverwas Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Ian McKellen and Alan Cumming appeared in X2: X-Men United (2003) and Eighteen (2005).

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Goofs

The dream sequence in the beginning shows the young Zachary with huge brown eyes - the adult Zachary has blue eyes.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gabriel Finch: [narrating] For those of you who do not know, this is how it began. Zachary Small was an ordinary little boy. He lived with his ordinary father in an ordinary house in an ordinary town. What Zachary did not know - could not know - was just how unordinary he was. I had heard the stories of young Zachary and his fearlessness. I had seen with my own eyes his selfless acts of bravery and courage. And I knew deep in my heart that he would return to rescue me when I was imprisoned in the ...

User Reviews

Despite the facile ending, this is a good movie.

In some ways this film is reminiscent of films such as "The Fisher King" and "They Might be Giants". In both of those films the central idea was that the mad have a separate reality. In this story, the main character, Zachary, is a psychiatrist attempting to understand the nature of his father's madness. He takes a position at a mental institution where his father had been hospitalized. There he meets and becomes friends with an old man, Gabriel, who knew his father while they were both inmates. He comes to realize that the old man's delusion was the basis for his father's inspiration as a children's fantasy writer. After his father is "cured" through the use of psychotropic drugs of his manic-depression, he loses his will to write. His son had been an integral part of the writing process and when that part of his father's life is over, he feels betrayed. Their relationship is destroyed and the boy, now the psychiatrist, is seeking to come to grips with his unresolved pain. Gabriel is convinced that Zachary has come to rescue him from his enemies and draws him back into the fantasy world. The climax comes when Zachary must either choose between the realities or try to integrate them. The ending is logical and works, but it's too easy. Zachary takes his stand and the world accommodates itself, no problem. The ending should have been edgier. They should have had to work at it more. It is unsatisfying but everything that has gone before is is quite good. There is some high-powered talent at work here among the supporting character actors and they alone make it worthwhile.