Review of In the Realms of the Unreal (2004) by Uncle Pappy W — 04 Feb 2011
A unique Jessica Yu documentary about a unique man, Henry Darger. This reclusive, friendless, janitor and dreamer created a Homerian epic unto himself, perhaps the longest novel in history. At 15,000 pages, it chronicles the seven Vivian sisters who protect androgynous children from enslavement by evil militaristic forces.
This documentary, a near-epic five years in the making, challenges you to take the perspective of Darden, who died in 1973. His cartoons, tastefully animated by Yu, appear at desktop level in his one-room Chicago living space, while the precocious voice of Dakota Fanning chirps narratives in your ears.
With so little data or human testimonials on Darger, any lesser treatment would have been displeasingly far-fetched. Yu took an ingenious approach to respectfully study an enigmatic man who, although poor and shunned in life, produced acclaimed work now worth millions.
AfroPixFlix, a respecter of all dreamer-janitors, forks it up 4 unreel times.
This review of In the Realms of the Unreal (2004) was written by Uncle Pappy W on 04 February 2011.
In the Realms of the Unreal has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
