Day dreamers in movies

[Floris]

Know any other films with a key character showing a considerable amount of day dreaming? Having a hard time coming up with an extensive list! Of course there are many, many films with short scenes of fantasies like American Beauty but I was interested in those where day dreaming formed a significant part of how the character is.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

Heavenly Creatures

[Steve C]

Not a movie, but the 90's Nickelodeon show 'Doug'. He daydreams throughout every episode.

[Kia Hood]

"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is probably the most fitting movies you could find. Also, "Sucker Punch", although it is not clear whether it's really daydreams or just a form of visualizing what's happening 

[Alex]

Sucker Punch is definitely an example. They use the term "alternate reality" to describe it which is the term I used to use (still do) before I found the term MDD. I always interpreted it as Babydoll daydreaming to cope with being in the asylum. It does get a bit confusing though as both worlds are shown side by side in the film. Emilie Autumn wrote a book that has a very similar dynamic. 

The only other thing I can think of is a silly Disney Channel original movie I liked as a kid that was about a girl with an alter ego she daydreamed about.

[Heaven]

Read It and Weep? I used to watch alot of the Disney Channel movies and I vaguely remember that her journal got published and it featured a character that was based loosely on herself. She used her journal to write about people in real life. I think it was based on a book, I almost completely forgot about this movie, but I think it could really work, although I haven't watched it in forever. 
Alex said:

Sucker Punch is definitely an example. They use the term "alternate reality" to describe it which is the term I used to use (still do) before I found the term MDD. I always interpreted it as Babydoll daydreaming to cope with being in the asylum. It does get a bit confusing though as both worlds are shown side by side in the film. Emilie Autumn wrote a book that has a very similar dynamic. 

The only other thing I can think of is a silly Disney Channel original movie I liked as a kid that was about a girl with an alter ego she daydreamed about.

[Floris]

Thank you I will check this one out.

Another one that comes to mind is Drop Dead Fred...with the brilliant Rik Mayall.

Heaven said:

Read It and Weep? I used to watch alot of the Disney Channel movies and I vaguely remember that her journal got published and it featured a character that was based loosely on herself. She used her journal to write about people in real life. I think it was based on a book, I almost completely forgot about this movie, but I think it could really work, although I haven't watched it in forever. 
Alex said:

Sucker Punch is definitely an example. They use the term "alternate reality" to describe it which is the term I used to use (still do) before I found the term MDD. I always interpreted it as Babydoll daydreaming to cope with being in the asylum. It does get a bit confusing though as both worlds are shown side by side in the film. Emilie Autumn wrote a book that has a very similar dynamic. 

The only other thing I can think of is a silly Disney Channel original movie I liked as a kid that was about a girl with an alter ego she daydreamed about.

[Alta Morden]

The BBC series "Waiting for God".  One of the two main characters, Tom Ballard, openly compulsively daydreams.  He discusses his dreams and even in real life acts as if they were real.  It is a comedy and very very funny.  The other Main character, Diana Trent, is tough, cynical and definitely does not daydream so they are perfect foils for each other.

[Givera Givera]

Fight Club maybe? Technically yeah.

[Valeria Franco]

The French film "Amélie"  (original title: Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain). It is all about a girls with social anxiety living in a imaginary world. It's beautiful, one of my favourite film.

"Fight club", I think it's more about schizophrenia, as he doesn't know  he's daydreaming, he has two personalities of which only the second (Tyler) is aware of the first.

I would like to mention in this discussion "Vanilla Sky". It's not a maladaptive daydreamer strictly speaking, but it's very interesting for us, as it's the story of a man who consciusly decide to give up his real life, which he can't stand any more, and  live a dream-life instead (through an innovative hibernation technology, but still a dream-life). That's science fiction, but we are somehow doing pretty much the same thing, aren't we? Tell me, would you do it if it were possible in real life?

[Floris]

I would definitely experiment with something like that and possibly become addicted. It would be as tempting as the holodeck in Star Trek. And things are getting more like this, slowly, with 3d and game technology.

But ultimately you'd miss the human interaction I guess? Realness has it's own value despite the boredom that can come with it.

[Valeria Franco]

I would definitly miss reality, yeah. Mine was a provocative question, but I didn't consider that it's actually almost happening with more and more realistic videogames. It's very disturbing to me the idea of dreaming forever, that's why I loved Vinilla sky. It mirrors my fears: what if I'll end up dreaming forever?

Floris said:

I would definitely experiment with something like that and possibly become addicted. It would be as tempting as the holodeck in Star Trek. And things are getting more like this, slowly, with 3d and game technology.

But ultimately you'd miss the human interaction I guess? Realness has it's own value despite the boredom that can come with it.

[Laura]

Phoebe in Wonderland.

I highly recommend that to everyone on this forum. It touches me every time.

[Roel]

Bridge To Terabithia ? The way the kids play in that movie is how I did as a kid. And I never got out of it. It's not a movie based around the concept of dreams though. Allthough imagination is an important theme.