There’s no shortage of directors who honed their craft on music videos and made the leap to narrative drama, and often they’re some of the most creative directors on the block. Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Mark Romanek, David Fincher, Flora Sigismondi, Antoine Fuqa, Tarsem, and many more have graduated to features, and next up in line for big things could be “The Daniels,” a.k.a. Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, a filmmaking duo who won the Best Director prize at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2014 for DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s "Turn Down for What,” and helmed creative videos for The Shins, Foster the People, and many more.
READ MORE: 10 Music Video Directors Turned Feature Filmmakers
The Daniels are making their intriguing feature-length narrative debut at the Sundance Film Festival. Titled “Swiss Army Man,” it’s about a man trapped in the wilderness on a deserted island who befriends an unlikely counterpart. The cast is solid too, featuring Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Here’s the official synopsis:
Alone on a tiny deserted island, Hank has given up all hope of ever making it home again. But one day everything changes when a dead body washes ashore, and he soon realizes it may be his last opportunity to escape certain death. After befriending the corpse and gradually discovering his special powers, the duo go on an epic adventure to bring Hank back to the woman of his dreams. Music video gurus DANIELS, a.k.a. Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, craft a wholly original debut feature bursting with limitless creativity both in content and form. Their consistently surprising script spans a wide range of emotions: from the ridiculously absurd to a touching exploration of what it means to be human. Not to mention, it’s a musical. Given what are likely to be some of the most unique roles of their acting careers, co-leads Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe give their all to a movie that celebrates the wonder that cinema offers.
“Swiss Army Man” debuts makes its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival Friday, January 22, later this afternoon. So keep an eye out for the review. Below, check out some new exclusive photos of the film.
