As a young child, our imaginations are big and colourful where an adult doesn’t regularly question the ‘out of this world’ stories that a child shares. So when a young Luke begins talking to someone his mother can’t see, it’s all brushed off as an imaginary friend. But when things begin to get out of hand, Luke blames his new friend Daniel for his actions. Handling the situation as a parent, Luke’s mother forces him to lock away his imaginary friend, trapping him inside a dollhouse.
Many years later, Luke (Miles Robbins) is now a college student, facing social anxiety and having to deal with his mother who is suffering with paranoid delusions. While Luke lives in a college dorm, he visits his mother at his childhood home and makes the decision to stay and look after her as she appears to be unstable.
While Luke looks through his belongings he comes across the old doll house and without any hard thinking he releases Daniel (Patrick Schwarzenegger) from his entrapment. Just like Luke, Daniel has aged and appears to be around the same age. The two get along like long lost friends reuniting, and Luke’s confidence becomes stronger with the help of Daniel instructing him on what to do.
However just like his childhood, things soon become dark again and Luke struggles to get rid of Daniel for a second time, as his powers are much stronger than before. Seeking help becomes impossible, as Luke is the only one who can see Daniel and friends become scared of Luke being around them.
With no one wanting to help, can Luke break free from Daniel’s evil force before any more wrongdoing is done?
Miles Robbins and Patrick Schwarzenegger both did incredible jobs with their characters and stood out to me as strong and memorable.
Daniel Isn’t Real is a fantastic film that actually had me surprised with how enjoyable it was. I got a low budget vibe when it started, making me feel worried that the film was going to be a struggle to get through. However, the acting was superb, the special effects are incredible and overall, the story and narrative was incredibly interesting and easy to follow. I really couldn’t flaw this film, even if I wanted to.
Daniel Isn’t Real is available now to rent and buy on all digital platforms and DVD across Australia.