In the Realms of the Unreal

"The Mystery of Henry Darger"

Mar 29 2008 Unrated 1h 21m
Biography, Documentary

In the Realms of the Unreal is a documentary about the reclusive Chicago-based artist Henry Darger. Henry Darger was so reclusive that when he died his neighbors were surprised to find a 15,145-page manuscript along with hundreds of paintings depicting The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glodeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Cased by the Child Slave Rebellion.

Plot

Henry Darger worked all his life in menial jobs in Chicago. Living alone and in poverty, he had no friends or close family. Spending all his off hours alone, he whiled away the hours working on a 15,000 page illustrated novel called The Realms of the Unreal. A stunning amalgam of religious imagery, fantasy, and heroic drama, the work was only discovered after Darger was moved to a hospital during the last days of his life. Darger also wrote journals and an autobiography. The documentary uses interviews with Darger's neighbors and narration of passages from his works, along with his illustrations, to explore the mind and work of Henry Darger.

Written by

Henry Darger, Jessica Yu

Directed by

Jessica Yu

Cast

Henry Darger, Dakota Fanning, Larry Pine

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Independent Television Service, Diorama Films

Languages

English

Awards

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. 2 wins & 6 nominations total

Trailers
IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL - trailer
Scores
# of Votes
2,307
Average Rating
7.3 out of 10
Metascore
74
Popularity
NA