Leolo (1993)

Synopsis: A dreamlike, hypnotic film, in which fantasy and reality inextricably merge, examines an unhappy child's desperate efforts to create an alternative, pleasurable world through his imagination and creativity. A young boy, stuck in an unbelievably neurotic and dysfunctional family,... A dreamlike, hypnotic film, in which fantasy and reality inextricably merge, examines an unhappy child's desperate efforts to create an alternative, pleasurable world through his imagination and creativity. A young boy, stuck in an unbelievably neurotic and dysfunctional family, fills notebooks with his fantasies to escape the harsh reality of his life. In the key fantasy, Léolo (his made-up name) imagines he is the offspring of an Italian peasant and a particularly "fertile" tomato brought to Canada in a grocery shipment. These writings provide Leolo with a safe haven where he can forget his painful existence, but this ends when his notebooks are discovered by a local academic who unsuccessfully tries to convince his family and teachers of Leolo's talents. Leolo retreats from writing, and gradually loses himself in a world of his own imaginings. He is hospitalized, but steadfastly impervious to the proddings of the mental health professionals, he sinks further into his imagination, creating for himself a slightly more functional -- and beautiful -- reality than the one his family has provided. [More]