Writer/director Christy Hall ‘s “ Daddio ” follows, in real-time, a 90-minute NYC cab ride from JFK airport to 44th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues. During that period, the camera rarely leaves the taxi as driver Sean Penn and passenger Dakota Johnson get to know each other during an extended conversation that yields surprising revelations for both the characters and the audience. The strength of Hall’s dialogue is not surprising given her background as an acclaimed playwright, but what really makes “Daddio” work is the way the performances are served by the visual style, as the lights and colors of New York City play off of the actors’ faces in a hypnotic, almost musical fashion; Phedon Papamichael ‘s dreamy cinematography keeps the city alive as a character outside without ever detracting from the emotional intimacy of what’s going on inside the cab.
“I really wanted it to feel like poetry in motion,” Hall told IndieWire. “Anytime I’ve ever taken a cab into Manhattan, especially at night, it’s such a visceral and visual drive.” Hall wanted everything the audience sees outside the cab to be faithful to the reality of the route, but actually pulling the car through traffic on a trailer was impossible on her schedule.
“This is a very indie movie. We didn’t have a big budget and we didn’t have a lot of time. I was given 16 days.
Had we trailered the cab, it would have been a nightmare — all night shoots, and the ability to reset and mai.
