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IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL: THE MYSTERIOUS ART AND LIFE OF HENRY DARGER explores the fascinating mind of a reclusive, obsessive man who spent much of his life working on a 15,000-page illustrated book about the ultimate battle of good versus evil, focusing on young girls in serious danger. Born and raised in and around Chicago, Henry Darger was a lonely, strange child who had no friends and an ailing father. Sent to the Asylum for Feeble-Minded Children, Darger was different from the other kids. In 1909, when he was seventeen, he began compiling "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," a massive undertaking about a fierce war that involved Christian soldiers, heathens, and the seven pretty Vivian Girls. Jessica Yu's documentary draws remarkable parallels between Darger's fantasy world and his real life, based on material discovered in his apartment after his death in 1973. She also speaks with Darger's landlord and the few neighbors and churchgoers who knew him, opting not to talk to art critics or psychiatrists, instead letting the audience choose for itself whether Darger was a madman or a genius. She also brings Darger's colorful collage art to life, using old-fashioned animation techniques. The compelling film is narrated by Dakota Fanning, with passages from Darger's writings read by Larry Pine.
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