Imagination

Imagination seems to be about learning the secrets of heaven and nature. Starring are identical twin sisters, one who is going blind and the other who suffers from a type of autism called Asperger's syndrome. The premise is that together they have a special gift that enables them to rise above their physical disabilities and collectively escape reality into a realm of their imagination. It is when the film moves into the stop-motion animated worlds that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It is through Eric Leiser's many animation techniques that the two girls connect with a spiritual force/deity and ascend from their limited reality into something much greater and more magical. Which is somehow related to an albino fawn. Regarding their clueless parents, the twin girls say, "They forgot what it means to dream."

I think the Leiser Brothers could, in the future, turn in amazing works along the lines of Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and The Science of Sleep (2006). They obviously are a talented duo. Alternatively, they could focus their film-making in the world of animation, à la Jan Svankmajer or the Brothers Quay, which is this film's obvious strength.

visionary indie artfilm offers disjointed scenes of great imagination: "Imagination" is bold and excellent personal spiritual art; many sights and sounds are utterly magical and memorably symbolic. However this doesn't mean the film can satisfy commercial standards, or even that many art house audiences will be able to enjoy it. The hauntingly original animation and varied dreamlike music, which complement each other well and remain sincerely accessible throughout, do ensure a certain level of general appreciation. Students of film will admire techniques combining stop motion puppets, drawn animation, time lapse, and more. It's the other problems that will push away mainstream viewers, including amateurish live acting (poor casting decisions were clearly made, though the girls are sweet and the psychiatrist is passable), naive non-credible scripting (much better dialogue was needed to set up a doctor who gets custody of recently orphaned special-needs children in an stark alienating lab), and unimpressive uneven cinematography. Truly the soul doesn't care about such flaws and limitations, since spiritual growth is all about sincerity and hitting the high points, which this film has in abundance. There are scenes that will stay with you, especially those set in the mythic woods of eyed trees that was previously released in a stand-alone short called "Forest". Unlike Hollywood, the soul cares about quality rather than quantity. If an artwork has even just an audience of one that is deeply touched, then it will resonate to endure and change the universe forever. In this regard, Imagination is tremendously successful.

In "imagination", Sarah and Anna Woodruff (played by Jessi and Nikki Haddad, respectively) are twin sisters who confound everyone around them. Their father is distant and eventually leaves the family. Their mother (Courtney Sanford) is anxious and frantic for answers. And a child neurologist (Ed K. Gildersleeve) who initially diagnosed Anna with a rare form of autism isn't so sure. Sarah- who's near blind- and Anna live within their own world, a shared imagination that includes prophetic dreams and visions. They are almost the same person in a way, occasionally speaking in unison, rarely separated from one another. When tragedy strikes, the doctor is left with more questions than answers. I'll admit to being a little confused as to what the film is about. What I can clearly state is that it is a representation of the closeness some siblings- and twins in particular- share with one another (something I would imagine Eric Leiser, who directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with his brother/composer Jeffrey, knows much about). At first I thought we might be watching an exploration into the gifted minds of the two sisters, and how their respective disabilities work to enhance such gifts, which in itself would be an interesting story. After a while, however, the film seemed to morph into a look inwards at how faith guides us into our eventual destination in life, and while that may be the best description I can give of the film, it doesn't account necessarily for the almost supernatural aspect of the film, as evident in both the storytelling method and the ambiguous ending. One of the things that struck me as particular inspired about the film was how well Leiser didn't allow the obvious budgetary limitations get in the way of telling the story as best he could (it helps that he gets an assist from his brother Jeffrey on the music, which helps propel the narrative forward, even if it's not terribly subtle). In a way, the film benefits from the limitations, using low-budget effects like high-speed photography, stop-motion animation, and photographic and sound effects to put us very much in Sarah and Anna's world. (Of particular note is how Leiser makes us feel, convincingly, that an earthquake is taking place through simple camera and sound tricks.) Many times the film reminded me of Michel Gondry's lovely "The Science of Sleep" from last year in such touches, and although it isn't on solid enough ground thematically to compare to that film in overall quality, it does make for a distinctly endearing quality that will benefit the film on multiple viewings. This is my first experience with Leiser's work- he's an established veteran of a couple of features now and many shorts in the independent film community- and was, on the whole, impressed by what I saw in "imagination" (he emailed me recently in the interest of getting a review from the site). His film- which has played at a few festivals and has video distribution lined up for a February 2008 DVD release- is a thoughtful and imaginative work, and will play well for anyone looking for something beyond the usual by-the-numbers explorations at the mysteries of life, even if I wasn't completely clear as to what the film's final point was.

Brothers Eric and Jeffrey Leiser bring us the story of two twin girls who have Asperger's syndrome, where they are highly introverted and socially awkward, but have strong imaginations guided by "the white fawn", whatever that might be. Dr. Reineger has a fascination with these girls and seeks to find some answers.

This film has one weak point and one strong point. The weak point is the acting. The two main characters, besides the girls, just do not impress me at all. Courtney Sanford (mother Janice Woodruff) forces her lines out, and Ed K. Gildersleeve (Dr. Reineger) doesn't do much better. The plot is very thin, and their navigation through it with words is like a canoe lost at sea... it's going somewhere, but certainly not from the actors' control.

The strong point is the imagination and animation throughout the picture. Clay, food, paint and any other medium found is used in this movie, with more or less consistently beautiful results. Had they wanted to, the Leisers could have simply filmed these segments, added a few more and called it art. They were the highlight of the picture.

This movie was picked up and rented on a whim, something that may be a little bit risky... but in this case, it opened my eyes to a film I would likely never had seen otherwise, presenting a style I never before would have imagined. Not a comedy, not a drama... just pure imagination on film.

This film came to me as an came to me as an early preview DVD courtesy of the filmmakers, the Leiser brothers. To say it is like nothing I have ever seen would be an understatement.

Those looking for the latest Hollywood "comedy" and it's scatological "humor" or the latest action film will find none of that here. This surreal film truly qualifies as avant-garde and presents a visual experience that will stay with you long after it's 70 minutes have ended. The score, done by Jeffrey Leiser, who co-wrote the script, is also magnificent and enhances the visual experience.

The only thing in the film that approaches acting is the neuro-psychologist, played by Ed K. Gildersleeve. Of course, the poor scientist is as baffled as the parents when he cannot provide scientific explanation to what is going on.

That is not hard to understand, as many do not come into contact with those suffering from Asperger syndrome, which is a high functioning autism disorder. From all those I have and am dealing with who have autism, I have only one that may be Asperger's. But don't let that prevent you from enjoying the ride through this film, especially if you are the type that likes to see science flummoxed in the face of the metaphysical.