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Larry Pine, Dakota Fanning, Henry Darger

Award-winning short filmmaker Jessica Yu makes her feature-length debut with In the Realms of the Unreal, a documentary about outsider artist Henry Darger. Born in 1892, Darger lived in Chicago and wo... read more read more...rked as a janitor for most of his life. When he died in 1972, his landlord found his life's work: The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion (often simply referred to as The Realms). A massive, multiple-volume fantasy novel, The Realms also contains nearly 300 illustrations of collages, drawings, and paintings. Rather than interview art scholars and psychologists, Yu chooses to look at Darger's work from the viewpoints of those who knew him. Yu also incorporates animation segments into the documentary, using Darger's original images. In the Realms of the Unreal was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 as part of the documentary competition. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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77% liked it

3,334 ratings

Critics

70% liked it

61 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 22 min.

Directed by: Jessica Yu

Release Date: January 21, 2005

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DVD Release Date: June 21, 2005

Stats: 252 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (252)

  • flixsterman
    June 4, 2010
    flixsterman
    A story so bizarre that you'd consider it wildly creative fiction were it not completely true. Jessica Yu documents the incredible secret life of Henry Darger, a janitor who's imaginative works of art and literature were discovered after his death in 1973. Fascinating stuff!
  • fb1144932598
    October 10, 2009
    fb1144932598
    Henry Darger was a reclusive retired janitor who lived quietly in Chicago. Upon his death, his landlady discovered a side to him that no one suspected. He wrote several journals, detailing his life story, and a novel that takes up 15,000 pages, describing a surreal battle between... read more good and evil, led by seven mythical sisters. He also painted several large murals, illustrating his tale. Strange fellow, indeed. This documentary tries to convey some of the grandeur of his life's work. A little dry for this viewer's taste, and the sheer volume of the work makes it difficult to assess the artistic value. Some of the images are quite bizarre, indicating an unfamiliarity with female anatomy. A mildly interesting look at the work of one who epitomizes outsider art.
  • gator681
    April 8, 2006
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]"In the Realms of the Unreal" is a documentary about Henry Darger, a retired janitor and loner in Chicago. When he died at the age of 81 in 1973, about 15,000 pages that he had written in journals and a novel were discovered. Darger also created a good amo... read moreunt of artwork to accompany his novel about an almost endless war with a group of girls caught in the middle. [/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]The documentary contains interviews with those closest to Darger who try to give some sort of insight into his inner life. It also has animated certain parts of his art in trying to illustrate events from Darger's life and the narrative of his novel. My own amateur opinion is that Darger suffered from arrested development. He was robbed of his own childhood when he spent seven years in an asylum and thus, as an adult, sought to recreate a fantasy childhood in its stead.[/font]
  • HenrikSchunk
    October 1, 2008
    HenrikSchunk
    As much as I can see the point of directing a movie about Darger in line wit his very unique and inapproachable style of writing and painting, I would have prefered a much more professional and in-depth analyzation of his life and work. While this documentary may be quite appeali... read moreng visually and in terms of editing it is more of a long flickering snapshot of Darger's strange wanderings, but no profound portrait of his life.
  • cacutshaw
    February 13, 2008
    cacutshaw
    Interesting doc that looks into Henry Darger's amazing artwork. After it was done I thought I would have like to learn more about him and his art, but it works as a film to peak your interest.
  • seriousqt
    June 19, 2009
    seriousqt
    Imaginative documentary filmmaking that gets you interested in even off putting or droll subject matters like the life of a famed Artist.
  • rilokatie
    April 8, 2009
    rilokatie
    Spooky shit seeing Darger's art come to life. I kind of wish they hadn't animated it. It definitely shook me up.
  • corvar
    October 30, 2008
    corvar
    A trippy little documentary detailing the life and work of Henry Darger. Next time I get down into the city, I plan on checking out the Intuit gallery.
  • VickiKent
    September 26, 2008
    VickiKent
    Beautiful documentary of a truly innocent recluse. The creator of an epic 15,000 page illustrated novel that I would love to pour over for a week straight..
  • jes25924
    June 30, 2008
    jes25924
    A documentary about a hermitic janitor, who upon his death at age 82, leaves his landlords and neighbors to discover his life's work of several hundred paintings, some well over twelve feet long, and a fifteen thousand page book(one of the longest no...(read more)vels in history)... read more, all revolving around a children's story called "In The Realms Of The Unreal". The book is about seven sisters named the Vivian sisters who battle a wicked, "Godless", country of child enslaving men, with the help of a good Christian nation.

    The documentary while not a crisp as it could have been has some excellent animated sequences bringing Darger's imagination to life in ways that just looking at his work(fascinating as it is) wouldn't. Dakato Fanning narrates, which makes sense considering Darger's obsession with children. The film does not shy away from the sadder, less seemly elements of Darger's life. His nonexistent sexual knowledge, religious extremism, manic mood swings, and the Lewis Carrol charge that he was more than just interested in his subjects. In any event it's a tragic story of extreme lifelong isolation and the ability of the human imagination to thrive in the most desolate conditions.

View All In the Realms of the Unreal - The Mystery of Henry Darger Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
May 20, 2005
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

A stylistic triumph and a sad but also romantic depiction of an artist in his purest state. Full Review

Steven Rea
April 21, 2005
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

The best thing about In the Realms of the Unreal are the sequences in which Darger's drawings, of epic battles and pigtailed heroines, are gently animated -- the pictures brought to life with subtle, ...

Eric Harrison
April 15, 2005
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle

It is an engrossing introduction to the artist and his work. Full Review

J. R. Jones
February 10, 2005
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

Yu's decision to bypass the literature about Darger is unfortunate, because it contains so many fascinating details about his source materials, methods, creative problems, and aesthetic development. Full Review

Chris Vognar
February 10, 2005
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

Henry Darger's mind may have been a tough place to live, but In the Realms of the Unreal makes for a stirring visit. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
February 4, 2005
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

This is a film every bit as poetic, textured and intriguing as Darger's own rapturous visions. Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
February 3, 2005
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

The path taken by the film is somewhat labyrinthine and obscure, but it offers enough rewards to counterbalance its frustrations. Full Review

Peter Howell
January 28, 2005
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

A film that strives mightily to make an interesting subject out of a pathetic and possibly dangerous figure. Full Review

Lisa Rose
January 28, 2005
Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger

The movie's central gimmick, animating the novel's illustrations while actors like Larry Pine and Dakota Fanning read the text dramatically in voiceover, grows cumulatively irritating and alienating. Full Review

Richard Roeper
January 24, 2005
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

This is Academy Award level documentary making. Full Review

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