What to Know Before Watching Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn in Daddio

An Intimate Setting

The entirety of Daddio takes place within the confines of a taxi, making it an intense and intimate journey. A challenging endeavor no matter who is doing it, let alone your debut feature, writer-director Christy Hall’s “Daddio” is an intimate, two-hander that, for nearly its entire 100-minute runtime, takes place within the confines of a taxi.

Dakota Johnson’s Character

Johnson portrays a hardened New Yorker who isn’t even given a name; she’s credited simply as Girlie. Known only as Girlie, the woman gets a cab from JFK and settles in for the long ride to Midtown. Her character reflects strength and a modern urban persona.

Sean Penn’s Role

Penn plays Clark, the cabbie with a streetwise New York accent. His character complements and challenges Johnson’s throughout this confined drama. Interestingly, Clark makes an observation about Girlie unplugging from technology during their shared taxi ride.

The Concept of Connection

The plot revolves around two characters connecting over the span of a single taxi ride from JFK airport to Midtown. The more stationary setup might not appeal to all viewers, but it’s an effective vehicle for deep character exploration.

Psychological Layers

Hall dives deep into armchair psychology with her script. This takes center stage when Clark remarks: Inside you, there’s a little girl who just wants a daddy to hold her, tell her bedtime stories. But the grown woman, on the outside, wants a different kind of bedtime story, if you catch my drift.

A Nod to Collateral

Daddio faces comparisons with Michael Mann’s thriller Collateral, particularly given its similar single-location premise within a taxi. However, unlike Mann’s action-oriented approach, Hall focuses more on dialogue and character-driven storytelling.

Art Reflecting Life

The sentiment behind the film echoes Kit Zauhar’s philosophy on character portrayal: I just don’t think nice people are interesting on camera…. Unlikable characters can make you a better, and I think more empathetic, person in real life. This notion brings depth to Girlie’s supposedly unlikable traits.