Daniel Isn't Real (2019)

A troubled college freshman, Luke, suffers a violent family trauma. He then resurrects his charismatic childhood imaginary friend Daniel to help him cope, not realizing how dangerous Daniel is.

Director:

Adam Egypt Mortimer

Writers:

Brian DeLeeuw, Adam Egypt Mortimer

Stars:

Miles Robbins, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sasha Lane

5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Miles Robbins	...	Luke
Patrick Schwarzenegger	...	Daniel
Sasha Lane	...	Cassie
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Claire
Hannah Marks	...	Sophie
Chukwudi Iwuji	...	Braun
Peter McRobbie	...	Percy Thigpen
Andrew Bridges	...	Richard
Griffin Robert Faulkner	...	Young Luke
Nathan Chandler Reid	...	Young Daniel (as Nathan Reid)
Daniel Marconi	...	John Thigpen
Chase Sui Wonders	...	Makayla
Rosanne Ma	...	Professor Abelard
Katie Chang	...	Barista
Michael Cuomo	...	James

Storyline

When Luke decided to leave his mother's home and face emancipation, he never thought it would be so complicated. His social awkwardness and his diverse traumas will make him seek the aid of an old buddy: his imaginary childhood friend Daniel, who is now a self-confident, manipulative young man. Daniel will start to help Luke, but his intentions will soon prove to be somewhat more sinister.

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Plot Keywords:

child witnesses parent argument | imaginary friend | lost wallet | mother son relationship | developing a photograph | 

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Taglines:

From the Producers of 'Mandy'

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

In interview with New York Post, Patrick Schwarzenegger said he was inspired by Nicolas Cage for his role and was really excited to work with the producers behind Mandy(2018)

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Quotes

Braun: The mind will do anything to avoid confronting just how alone it is in the universe.

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Connections

References Pandora's Box (1929)

User Reviews

A fair movie that will keep you engaged till the end

I rated this film a 7, fair, which isnt a 10 or a 1 which this film is neither of anyway. It's worth watching, good storyline, casting was good, directing was really good and maybe helped garner the rating for me, special effects were even fairly good, one scene in particular and several others were close. What docked the points was it felt a little rushed at times, some of the acting and scenarios were cheesy and seemed out of character, especially the doctor. The final solve seemed sort of pushed out and not pulled out with some logical investigative deducements. So then the end was a little hard to decipher and didnt really fit with the rest of the movies flow and style and here was also some very bad special effects happening that was distracting from the cohesiveness and melodic translation of the first 3/4 of the film. So its definitely worth a look, prepare to be pleased but not rocked, but also not skunked. It's only a fair movie but I think most thriller/horror/drama fans will agree.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 December 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Daniel Isn't Real

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,143

Company Credits

Production Co:

SpectreVision, Ace Pictures (II), ACE Pictures Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39:1