This has been a strange summer for movies. With the exception of a handful of films (INSIDE OUT 2, DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, DESPICABLE  ME 4 and TWISTERS), it’s pretty much been a bust at the box office for all the others. (I’m writing this review before ALIEN: ROMULUS has come out.) Now the cinemas are scrambling to fill their screens and lure audiences back with quieter, more cerebral, fare until the next studio tentpole production comes out. DADDIO is one such film.

It’s very late at night and a woman (Dakota Johnson, CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH; THE LOST DAUGHTER) hops into a taxi at New York’s JFK International Airport and heads for her apartment in midtown Manhattan. During the ride, she and her driver, Clark (Sean Penn, MILK), engage in a frank conversation about their pasts, their relationships and the dynamics of power.

Though DADDIO is only going to appeal to a small number of people, it’s an interesting film that is well worth checking out. First time feature director and screenwriter Christy Hall, who also wrote the soon to be released in Hong Kong IT ENDS WITH US (which is probably why DADDIO is being released here now), does a great job with her two highly  capable leads. Even though the film’s runtime of 101 minutes is far longer than a trip from JFK to 44th between 9th and 10th would take in the dead of night even with a traffic jam thrown in, DADDIO never drags or feels padded. Their conversation, although I suspect it unlikely to ever happen, feels honest. Certainly, the woman’s relationship with her boyfriend should give many women who are in a similar relationship pause for thought.

As I was watching the movie, I thought that it is so well structured, it would make for a good two-act stage play. I’ve since learned that, in fact, Hall originally conceived the story to be just that. My only concern with the story is that Clark is so nosy and so direct that I would think that most women in this situation would have 911 pre-dialled on their phone just in case. When he offers her a stick of gum, my inner voice was screaming at her not to take it. Maybe I’m just not a trusting person.

DADDIO opens in Hong Kong next Thursday (August 22nd) with paid previews beginning this Saturday. It’s also available on all the usual streaming services. Definitely worth watching.

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