December 7, 2008
In the 1970's, Henry Darger lay in a bed at Saint Augustine's Home for the Aged, which would eventually be his resting place. Now displaced from his home of 41 years - one of his only accomplices, a neighbor named David Berglund, revealed to Darger that he'd discovered his life's...( read more) work. As a recluse, Darger completed a 15,000 page novel and complimentary sprawling and elaborate paintings depicting epic battles. When Berglund noted what a wonderful accomplishment these works were, and how beautiful he found them to be - Darger simply responded "Too late now." Since Darger died in 1973, he's become one of the most significant figures in the world of outsider art, and his work inhabits museums all over the country.
Documentary director Jessica Yu, who previously won an Oscar for her short film entitled "Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien", took it upon her life to explore the works of Henry Darger. Because Darger was so mysterious (people even argue over the pronunciation of his name), it's almost impossible to make a traditional biopic on the man. Instead, Yu's fascination lies more in the stories Darger had created in his epic novel entitled "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." Yu and her team of computer animators bring his illustrations to life and attempt to do justice to the endless imagination of Henry Darger.
In Darger's story, which name I will not even attempt to type again, he tells a story about a battle between young girls and adults. In the novel, seven sisters known as the Vivian Girls lead a revolt against the much older child-enslaving males. The accompanying illustrations are bursting at the seams with life and are at times highly disturbing, but what is interesting to note is that Darger's girls have penis'. Someone who briefly knew him in his life claimed that it wasn't that he was necessarily stupid, it's just that he hadn't been exposed to female anatomy. Darger's mind was truly his own world, and the outside details were of little importance to him.
I had previously seen a later work of Jessica Yu, which is entitled "Protagonist" and was released last year. In that film, she had four eccentric personalities describe their fascinating stories, and then she compared them to Greek tragedy using animated wooden dolls. I found that film to be incredibly fascinating, not just for how involving the characters are, but how inventive and unique her presentation is. "In the Realms of the Unreal" certainly boasts the same creative juices, however I didn't find it do be nearly as engrossing as "Protagonist".
The film is largely animations brought to life with accompanying voice-over work by Larry Pine and Dakota Fanning. Rather than revealing much about Darger (which is forgivable considering little is known), or analyzing his creative talents through historians and art experts, all we get to know through the film is the details on his war of child enslavement. At first, this is really engrossing, however it begins to get tedious by the midway point. I liked the animations to an extent, as that is certainly how Darger could have envisioned his paintings, however they also took away from the original art pieces. I was anxious to see pages of his novel, or his unaltered paintings, however most of the content was tampered with. I felt that we never got an unaltered view of his work.
When you hear about Henry Darger, it's fairly disturbing as it is a man who clearly needed help. However, the charm to him is that he's a man so oblivious to his surroundings that his creative output is completely unfiltered and original. While some may find his story to be nothing more than a complete tragedy, I think it gives hope and faith for the endless limits human imagination.
"In the Realms of the Real" is more of an interesting film than a satisfying one. The animations got old fast, and I was begging to hear more about his work's effect on the art community. Yu is a great documentary filmmaker who really stretches the boundaries on what a documentary film is, however I felt this was an extremely admirable film that was in some ways a failure. It's still worthwhile, but ultimately forgettable.
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