Danika

I saw Danika's world premiere at the CineVegas film festival this past weekend. It was an excellent psychological thriller with many twists and turns. Marisa Tomei is exceptionally convincing in the lead role as a soccer mom tortured by visions which could be premonitions or hallucinations. The action in the movie intersperses tension-building dialog and dramatically shocking visuals with tremendous effectiveness. The supporting cast is also exceptional in the roles and convince you of the impact that Danika's visions are having upon them. Regina Hall is especially impressive as Danika's psychologist.

I would highly recommend seeking this movie out if it comes to a festival or theater near you!

This is one of those movies that you stumble upon while streaming surfing and see Marisa Tomei, and if you love Marisa Tomei - as I do - you decide you'll give it a chance. Then as you continue to watch and see Tomei's great performance and a number of psychologically provocative scenes you begin to wonder "Wow.. this movie is great.. How come I've never heard of it."

And so .. yes.. watching this movie is like watching a train wreck.. and as the viewer desperately tries to sort out what's real and what's not real you can't help but want to see this movie to the end for the "reveal" that explains it all.

Unfortunately, the "reveal" was a huge let down. I was super enjoying the movie up to that point.. but then the bottom dropped out. And then at that point I now understood how this movie got relegated to the straight-to-video realm.

Sadly, this is the kind of movie that one could argue is "critic-proof" because nothing "needs" to make sense and large plot holes can be "forgiven" because none of it has to make sense in a fundamentally crazy mind. Very convenient.. right?

I was ready to give the movie is "7" or "8" but downgraded it wholly because of the ending.

It's quite short and a bit like an extended episode of Tales of the Unexpected. Marisa Tomei is pretty darn good. The ending might enrage many but tries to make its point about mental health.

To look at the premise, and definitely to start watching, there are familiar narrative strains in 'Danika'; I think of one title in particular that came out just a few years before this one. That doesn't mean that another rendition can't be worthy - and if nothing else is true, the occurrences the protagonist experiences are distinctly horrifying, and increasingly so. Joshua Leibner's screenplay does a fine job of maintaining a strong air of mystery about the narrative, and conjuring major uncertainty about what is real or not. Just as much to the point, there's unmistakable complexity in the lead role that Marisa Tomei navigates with all the great skill we know she possesses; between the visions and the increasingly erratic behavior, the picture comes off foremost as a thriller, but with a considerable sense too of psychological horror. This may not be wholly perfect, but 'Danika' is duly engaging and compelling, and pretty solid.

All the blood, gore, stunts, and effects that go into realizing the more jarring moments are very well executed, helping the incidents to feel as real as they could be for the audience. It helps that so capable a cast is assembled; led by Tomei, everyone demonstrates fine nuance, range, and personality to bring the story to life. Able direction and sequencing work to amplify all the vitality there is in the screenplay, with varied scene writing focused around the protagonist's seemingly broken sense of reality. All the contributions of those behind the scenes are swell.

All this is well and good. However, there does come a point where the story makes a sea change, and the last stretch of the picture is straightforward drama. It's very well done, and fairly impactful, with heartbreaking but important and commendable themes spotlighted in the last scene especially. Only - these last minutes are a major break from the sensibilities that 'Danika' had been fostering all along, and so it feels like a curveball. The plot is complete and coherent, and ultimately very worthwhile, even as a couple scenes may feel a tad maudlin. Above all, I just wish the writing were slightly more even and consistent one way or another, especially in tone, for that would have made all the difference.

When all is said and done I do quite like this. I think every constituent part stands fairly tall, and it's reasonably engrossing. It just doesn't necessarily stand out compared to other movies of a similar broad thrust Ultimately it's more a drama/thriller with tinges of horror on the edges, and with that in mind - especially for fans of Tomei or others involved, this is a decent way to spend 80 minutes.

I watched quite a few films last year, and "Danika" made it to the top of my list for intellectual quality and brilliance. It's hard to comment on it without giving away details and spoilers, so let me just say, this movie takes your full attention (don't cook dinner and try to keep up!) Tomei is NEVER a disappointment. It's a wonder she isn't in more films these days. She is a little older than her fresh-faced "Only You" days, but time has settled kindly on her, giving her more character instead of so-called 'flaws.' The ending will leave you in somewhat of a stunned silence, and then you will sit there and watch all of the loose ends tie themselves neatly together. You will not walk away from this movie confused or wondering what it was all about - unless you weren't paying close attention all along. I admit, there will be boo-hooers who dislike it because they haven't the patience or the depth to grasp the true meaning behind this film, but this is why Danika is a work of art and it's star a true artist. If it were neat and pat like any good mainstream film, it wouldn't be the hidden jewel that it is. Many will pass it by, others will scoff and tear it apart. Let them. Those who grasp it will be those who tend to think a bit deeper than the first layer of the onion. Danika is a piece of abstract art - viewing it from different angles, you will see details that aren't visible to the casual onlooker.

Not for the squeamish, pick it up sometime and give it the credit it deserves!