A Slow Ride to Reveal : Daddio

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Imagine a film that covers a single, long, one-to-one conversation for its entire running time.
Christy Hall takes the audience on an hour-and-a-half ride in a yellow cab, followed by heavy
traffic in New York, giving bittersweet life lessons in her film Daddio.

Dakota Johnson plays a blond “girlie” returning to New York from her visit to Oklahoma who bumps into
a cab driven by a weird, talkative, pessimistic, yet honest cab driver, played by Sean Penn. From the beginning, she seems unstable as she receives sexually charged text messages from her partner. Her nervous body postures, facial expressions, and defensive manner against the cabbie build up great suspense. As their conversation carries on, Sean Penn gives her advice and consolation that only an elderly man who has experienced more failures could provide. Within the cab, they are honest, sometimes aggressive, and straightforward. They come from different backgrounds and never share a single opinion, but they find genuine comfort in the ride.

“Daddio” goes beyond a variant of dad or daddy in this film. Considering that the term “Daddy” has the dual meaning of a nominal and sexual title of a man, the young woman is lost somewhere between
idealism and reality. The young woman remains anonymous throughout the film; her name and age are
never revealed. Her anonymity brings a suspension of disbelief at the level that we, the audience, are the girlie. It is not just a simple conversation between a passenger and a cab driver, but it is a stage portrayal of those who are wandering, uncertain, and looking for parental guidance.

Daddio is not for those who expect a Hollywood blockbuster movie, but it is for those who appreciate the beauty of ambient sound and actors’ acting skills. Without fancy computer graphics, colours, or screen transitions, the film induces a strong, dynamic sentiment by unfolding a story that anyone with
a sense of deficiency in their mind can immerse in.

Sometimes you would find more attachment in conversations with a stranger than the time with people close to you. Daddio will be a tranquil comfort for you in that context.

Daddio is playing in theatres including the Cineplex Forum starting June 28.