Hide and Seek
Short description
Widowed psychologist David Callaway leaves New York with his nine-year-old daughter Emily, hoping a quieter setting will help her recover from her mother's death. Emily invents an imaginary companion named Charlie, and what begins as a child's game turns troubling as her behavior grows more disturbed and Charlie seems to take on a threatening presence. David, who initially dismisses the situation, is forced to confront the possibility that Charlie is something more than a figment of his daughter's imagination.
Robert De Niro plays David and Dakota Fanning plays Emily, with Famke Janssen, Elisabeth Shue, Amy Irving and Dylan Baker in supporting roles. John Polson directed the film, his second feature after Swimfan, from a screenplay by Ari Schlossberg; Barry Josephson produced. It was made for about 30 million dollars and took roughly 123 million dollars worldwide, a strong return on its budget.
On IMDb the film holds 6 out of 10 from around 92,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.3 out of 10 from about 1,785 votes, indicating modest audience approval rather than enthusiasm. A critics' rating of 4 out of 10 from 154 reviews places professional assessments well below those audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Dakota Fanning chose not to dye her hair auburn for the role and filmed wearing a wig.
- The film crew as a whole, and the props department in particular, went to great lengths to avoid harming the beetle. In the fishing scene, Emily picks up the insect and puts it on the hook. For this scene, the props department specifically made an artificial beetle, but the director found it unnatural. A total of 24 beetles were brought in for the shoot. A live insect was used for the beginning of this scene, carefully attaching a fake pouch with blood and innards to its body with surgical glue. Fanning was specifically shown how to handle the insect and where to insert the hook so as not to harm it. This was done in accordance with the requirements of the American Humane Association.
- The film has four alternate endings, and in half of the cinemas it was shown with the original ending, while in the other half – with an alternate one.
- Famke Janssen is right-handed. In the film, she holds the gun in her left hand to make it look awkward and clumsy, as the plot dictates she has never held a weapon before.
- Auditions were held for the role of Emily, and according to director Jon Polson, he hoped to find a “new Dakota Fanning.” AnnaSophia Robb was among those who auditioned, but the role ultimately went to Fanning.
- For the first time in 70 years, 20th Century Fox sent copies of the film to cinemas without a reel containing the final part, which was sent separately. This was done as a precaution to prevent anyone from revealing the ending prematurely. Security guards from the film company personally delivered the copies to the cinemas, and all reels at the company were numbered to eliminate even the possibility of spoilers.
Similar movies
![[REC]](https://www.acmodasi.in/amdb/images/movie/w360/0/83/rec-2007-78522.webp "[REC] Poster")
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
