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      In the Realms of the Unreal

      Released Mar 24, 2004 1h 21m Documentary List
      70% Tomatometer 63 Reviews 78% Audience Score 2,500+ Ratings Henry Darger is an isolated janitor in Chicago, spending most of his time alone in his apartment. What no one knows is that he is completing an epic work of art within the four walls of his home. This work, a book with 15,000 pages and countless images, is unseen until after his death 1973, when his neighbors discover what he's created. Jessica Yu uses Darger's book to explore his life and mindset, supplementing his own drawings and words with interviews from people who knew him. Read More Read Less
      In the Realms of the Unreal

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      Critics Consensus

      A fascinating treatment on the life of a reclusive man.

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      Critics Reviews

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      Empire Magazine Rated: 4/5 Jul 29, 2005 Full Review Roger Moore Orlando Sentinel A stylistic triumph and a sad but also romantic depiction of an artist in his purest state. Rated: 4/5 May 20, 2005 Full Review 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, fluttering motion. Rated: 3/4 Apr 21, 2005 Full Review Jay Antani Cinema Writer could've been riveting stuff if only its subject was half as interesting as its approach Rated: 2/4 Aug 17, 2010 Full Review Robert Davis Paste Magazine The camera is too eager to swim in the artist's sea, but it might've revealed more if it had paused to let our imaginations provide the movement, as Darger's presumably did. Rated: 2/5 Jun 3, 2008 Full Review Maria Garcia Film Journal International It was Yu's mistaken belief that experts would detract from her intimate approach that gives the film its tenuity, the lingering sense that far too little has been explored. Mar 1, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Fascinating look at a clearly ill person who lived a life in total seclusion and made some insane art. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member amazing documentary, a must see, i loved it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member A fascinating examination of Henry Darger that is inventive and tells a really great story and only really stumbles when it tries to tell maybe an hour's worth of story in an hour and twenty minutes. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member good interesting doc Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member A mentally challenged World War l veteran wrote a 15,000 page novel in his room over the course of decades. A fascinating look at "feeble-mindedness", outsider art, religion, and ignorance. Simultaneously endearing and creepy. Obsessed with young girls and children because he was severely abused as a child, he wrote and illustrated a world where the villains hate children and Christianity. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Documentary on Henry Darger, the reclusive Chicago janitor who secretly wrote a slightly insane 15,000 page novel about a child slave rebellion mixing the Civil War, Christianity and children's fantasy stories, illustrated by hundreds of incredibly detailed full size paintings. A solid introduction to Darger, whose utterly unique and slightly disturbing oeuvre has made him the poster boy for the outsider artist. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      In the Realms of the Unreal

      In the Realms of the Unreal (2004) In the Realms of the Unreal (2004) Artwork by Henry Darger. Artwork by Henry Darger. Artwork by Henry Darger. Artwork by Henry Darger. View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Henry Darger is an isolated janitor in Chicago, spending most of his time alone in his apartment. What no one knows is that he is completing an epic work of art within the four walls of his home. This work, a book with 15,000 pages and countless images, is unseen until after his death 1973, when his neighbors discover what he's created. Jessica Yu uses Darger's book to explore his life and mindset, supplementing his own drawings and words with interviews from people who knew him.
      Director
      Jessica Yu
      Screenwriter
      Jessica Yu
      Distributor
      Wellspring Media
      Production Co
      Diorama Films
      Genre
      Documentary
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Mar 24, 2004, Original
      Rerelease Date (Theaters)
      Dec 22, 2004
      Release Date (DVD)
      Jun 28, 2005
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $413.7K
      Runtime
      1h 21m
      Sound Mix
      Dolby SRD
      Aspect Ratio
      Flat (1.85:1)