Films like this often fall under the radar in terms of “exceptional audio description”. It seems like we look at the complex, and think about how much is being thrown at the screen and how amazingly it all was seemingly translated to us through the power of audio description. But, what we don’t often recognize is the simplicity, and what a solid audio description team can do with that. What do you have to describe when your film has two characters, and they rarely change location, position, and certainly never clothing. How do you manage this around a script that clearly lives and dies by its dialogue? Daddio does it, and it does it very well.
Daddio is almost entirely set in a taxi, where Sean Penn plays the driver, and Dakota Johnson plays the nameless passenger. Shot in as close to real time as possible, it is small talk, but also like verbal tennis between two players. She seems amused by his opinions, like he’s learned some Jedi mind trick on how to read his passengers. Perhaps he has. Maybe he can see this beautiful young woman in the passenger seat, notice how she pays attention to her phone, or lack thereof. Or how she knows the city, not as a tourist, but as a local would. And then there’s her choice to use an actual taxi, and not an Uber. It feels so simple, but in just sitting in these moments, we reveal so much about these two, while also only learning what anyone else would in a short car ride.
I love movies like this, where the script shines, the acting is solid, and it feels like a true conversation that has rises and falls. But, the audio description soars. There’s almost nothing to describe except honing in on small gestures, facial expressions, or the general view of the street as the car drives through the city. Johnson also pays a lot of attention to her phone, as someone is texting her, which becomes part of a larger conversation.
As far as genre goes, it isn’t romantic, but it still feels like the car ride version of Before Sunrise. It’s the brief moment in time spent with someone that feels somehow more profound, when it really just is a conversation you might forget down the line. In the moment, so much is discussed, but I think others have had similar experiences where we’ve talked to a stranger just because they were there. They might have some words of wisdom, but that moment comes and goes. It’s up to you to decide how impactful this was on either of these leads.
Excellent audio description, great performances, and just a well written screenplay.
Final Grade: A-
