It may not be a regular occurrence (and has becoming increasingly more rare considering how internally we tend to live our lives in the digital era), but there is something profoundly beautiful about encountering a stranger with whom she share only a few moments, but which you still carry deep within your heart for a long time after the inevitable separation. The enchantment of realising that these seemingly arbitrary people we encounter in our day-to-day lives are not merely fleeting figures, but rather fully-formed individuals with their own unique lives that are often just as rich and fascinating as our own is something that has been at the foundation of a substantial amount of philosophical and artistic discussion for centuries. This concept is the basis for Daddio, in which Christy Hall makes her directorial debut by telling the story of an unnamed young woman making her way from the airport to her home in Midtown Manhattan. Her journey is accompanied by Clark, the older taxi driver who is tasked with taking her home, and whose grizzled, rough exterior is soon revealed to be concealing a much more tender, wise personality. The pair eventually begin talking, and while they are complete strangers, it doesn’t take long for them both to open up – at first, its trivial discussions on their respective lives, but it eventually becomes deeper and more profound once they reveal the contents of the deepest parts of their minds, relishing in the inevitable reality that, in a city of over eight million individual lives, they are not likely to ever encounter one another again, this brief but meaningful trip offering them both the opportunity to embrace the near-anonymity of speaking with someone who you had never met before, and are probably never going to see again, which offers some degree of liberation from reality. A simple premise that is nonetheless beautifully written and driven by a genuine sense of complexity, Daddio is an exceptional film, a quiet and moving meditation on the human condition and its many peculiarities, as seen through the perspective of two wildly different characters that prove to have unexpectedly common ground on several matters.

The structure and premise of Daddio is extremely simple, almost to the point where it becomes something of a minor marvel that it managed to be this compelling. While the form is fascinating and is worth discussing in itself, the reason this film manages to be so wholeheartedly enthralling is primarily due to the premise and how it is brought to life. There is an abundance of philosophical depth lingering beneath the surface of this film, which is a fascinating deconstruction of the human condition, as seen through the eyes of a pair of truly fascinating characters who seem to exist in a state of limbo, navigating the ambiguous space between emotions, and finding each other at the precise moment when they needed it the most. Two aimless souls wandering through a world they neither understand nor find particularly motivating, but who realise the joy of being alive through engaging in a lengthy conversation in which they eventually trade the vapid pleasantries for a deep, moving process of plumbing the emotional depths of their hearts, and finding hope in the most unexpected of places. The dynamic between a young female passenger who clearly has built a successful life for herself but yet still feels the deep pangs of regret and remorse at the choices she has made in the past, as well as those she knows she will make in the future, and the older, down-on-his-luck cab driver who maintains a cheerful persona under the belief that its essentially all that he has left to give outside of his technical skill, makes for a fascinating exploration of different perspective and how they each function quite differently but somehow come together beautifully. Daddio is a film about two people trying their best to make sense of a confusing world, and struggling to find value until they’re presented with an entirely different perspective that opens their eyes and their heart, and gives them the strength to make the most of what they have been given. Between these more inspiring moments, there are some genuinely haunting observations on contemporary life and how it seems to be designed to hurt those who need the most help, which is something that is constantly emphasised throughout this otherwise poetic film.

By the nature of the story and how it unfolds, it becomes clear from the first moments that Daddio is a profoundly character-driven film, with Hall constructing the screenplay to be a showcase for a pair of exceptional actors who take on the only two roles present throughout the film, and who deliver fantastic work that feels like a person peak for both of them. Dakota Johnson has been steadily building her body of work to reflect the fact that she possesses a much deeper set of talents than many are willing to give her credit for – much of her output in the last few years has been designed to show that she is a profoundly interesting actor driven by several unique artistic curiosities that make so many of her performances extremely captivating and dynamic, even if many are still trying to get on-board with her as an actor. Her screen presence is absolutely magnetic, and while she is often seen as someone who is only as good as the material she is given, she’s shown herself to be more than capable of elevating paltry ideas and making them feel authentic and engaging. Daddio is not necessarily her best work overall, but it’s another step in the right direction, giving her the opportunity to build on this complex character while showing her innermost sensitivity and keen sense of self-awareness that is not often present in her larger performances. She’s paired with Sean Penn, who is another actor who tends to succeed when the material is worthy of his time, but who rarely gets the chance to show these talents. Considering he has peddled in cheap, inconsequential work for mostly a decade now, it is a wonderful surprise to see Penn set aside those dull quirks he’s developed over the years and take on a role that pulls him out of the gruff, mumbling archetypes he has defaulted to playing in recent years. The chemistry between the two leads is remarkable, and they play off each other with incredible charm, handling the moments of levity and melancholy equally as well, and delivering two of the finest performances of the past year, an unexpected surprise but one that should not be too shocking, considering both are wonderfully talented, and simply needed the right material to emphasize their skills and ability to craft memorable characters from simpler material.

Undeniably, the nature of Daddio could be seen as risky, and perhaps even outright controversial – there’s something so uniquely engaging about this film and how it functions that allows it to discuss subjects such as extramarital affairs, abortion and absent parents and still feel so genuinely moving, and rarely veer towards the overwrought. Part of this is due to the choices Hall makes when constructing this film, which is not based on any existing material, and therefore could have gone in any direction she and the two leads felt appropriate. However, rather than being tempted to make a film that is larger and more ambitious, they choose to keep everything quite simple and straightforward, opting for a mostly unfurnished approach – outside of the opening and closing scenes (which are more contextual than they are plot-dependent), the entire film takes place in a single location, which brings on its own fascinating points of discussion. This is not the first film to be set entirely in a vehicle, but something is fascinating about a story that is restricted to a single location, but one that is constantly moving, playing into the idea of these characters being on both a physical and emotional journey, one that has many detour and unexpected turns, but yet ultimately gets them from one location to another, with the focus not being on where the characters are going or coming from, but rather the lessons they learn along the way. There was always the potential for Daddio to be an overwrought bundle of intense emotions, but Hall chooses to keep everything quite simple, focusing on the most human of elements as she cobbles together a truly engaging, well-crafted drama that explores the lives of these two individuals as they share the same space for a couple of hours. Not once does the film feel tacky or like it intends to stir the most obvious reaction from the viewer. Instead, it chooses to focus on the intricate details – the small glances, the changes in the cadences of the characters’ voices as they become more accustomed to one another, and the surroundings that pass them by as they journey towards the future, not being the same people they were an hour before.

Daddio is certainly not a revolutionary film if we look at it from a distance – the story is very simple, and the execution is even more rudimentary, with the entirety of the film being set in a cab, meaning that there wasn’t much room to be more daring with an already by-the-numbers premise. Yet, it still becomes thoroughly engaging, which is a credit to both leads, who handle these challenging roles with such tact and elegance, and Hall’s incredibly precise, sharp direction that shepherds everything together in a striking, beautiful way. Perhaps its hackneyed to say, but this film is defined by the cliched belief that life is not always about the destination, but rather the journey – its much more intelligent and nuanced to be reduced to something so one-dimensional, but this is a strong starting-point when it comes to how the film chooses to define itself and its characters, who move through the world in a surprisingly nuanced, elegant way despite the wealth of haunting subjects discussed throughout. Anchored by extraordinary performances by Johnson and Penn, who have such exceptional chemistry and fully commit to these roles, Daddio is a powerful testament to the human condition, as described through the interactions of two strangers as they make their way through a city consisting of millions of souls, being deeply aware that they are only two of a multitude of people who are undergoing extensive crises of identity, but yet find a kindred spirit in one another, to the point where the very predictable, almost anti-climactic ending still has extraordinary resonance, since the preceding ninety minutes were filled to the brim with meaningful, earnest conversation that feels like it comes from a place of deep compassion and interminable humanity. A decently crafted drama consisting of many compelling ideas, Daddio is a simple but effective examination of the human condition, and one of the most surprisingly deep, compelling glimpses into contemporary life and how we navigate the everyday challenges that can accumulate into existential panic that only a brief encounter with a complete stranger can resolve.