Review of In the Realms of the Unreal (2004) by Thérèse F — 22 May 2008

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 novels in history), 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.