Imaginary Playmate
Imaginary Playmate is a thriller film which debuted on HBO in 2006. The film stars Dina Meyer, Rick Ravanello, Cassandra Sawtell, and Pablo Coffey.
| Imaginary Playmate | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Written by | William Fruet |
| Directed by | Christine Gallagher |
| Starring | Dina Meyer Rick Ravanello Cassandra Sawtell Pablo Coffey |
| Theme music composer | Mark Mothersbaugh |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 86 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original release |
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Plot
Suzanne (Dina Meyer) and her 7-year-old stepdaughter Molly Driscoll move into a new house after Molly’s dad Michael becomes manager of a sawmill. Molly’s mother has died 3 years earlier after having breast cancer. Molly acquires an imaginary friend named Candace Brewer who she insists is real. Molly passes on information gleaned from Candace which it would be impossible for Molly to know and asks Suzanne to be Candace’s “mummy” as Candace’s real mother died giving birth and Candace suffered mistreatment by her father. Suzanne’s belief that something strange is going on is bolstered by her encounter with Dora who is an elderly resident in a care home where Suzanne volunteers. Dora can apparently see Candace and warns Suzanne that Candace is dangerous. Suzanne and Michael increasingly disagree about how to manage Molly’s worrying behaviour and their relationship suffers.
Then Suzanne becomes pregnant and Molly knows before being told. She says Candace is afraid that the new baby will replace Candace in Suzanne’s affection and that Candace is hostile. Candace tells Molly that the baby won’t be born which she reports tearfully to Suzanne. Suzanne does research in newspaper archives and finds the story of Candace’s mother dying when giving birth to Candace’s sibling. She also reads that Candace died by hanging. Suzanne follows Molly to a church graveyard were Candace’s mother and father are buried but not Candace who is buried in unconsecrated ground as she was a suicide. As Suzanne prepares a nursery for her expected baby an unseen force knocks Suzanne off a ladder and she loses the baby. Molly blames herself for the loss and seemingly becomes comatose and is hospitalised. When Molly wakes she speaks as Candace and calls Suzanne “mummy” then laughs demonically. With the help of Father Phillip from the church, Suzanne learns Candace’s father hanged Candace before he then lived out his life in a mental institution. Meanwhile Molly(Candace) insists Michael takes her home from hospital where responding to Molly’s calls he is lured upstairs and hit on the head. Suzanne realises Candace will take revenge on Michael and rushes home to find Candace now visible as a ghostly presence alongside Molly. Candace admits to wanting to kill him as “he killed me”. Candace then reveals that she took her baby sister and left her on a church steps so she didn't have to suffer the abuse from her father like she did. Her sister is Dora. It was this act which infuriated her father who then hanged her. Candace then encourages Molly to jump from the roof to join her own dead mother as Suzanne doesn’t really love her. But Suzanne pleads that she does love Molly and that Molly needs to grow up and have her own family. Ultimately Suzanne convinces Molly to come into her embrace and start again.
Cast
- Dina Meyer as Suzanne Driscoll
- Cassandra Sawtell as Molly Driscoll
- Nicole Muñoz as Candace Brewer
- Rick Ravanello as Michael Driscoll
- Pablo Coffey as John Forbes
- Nancy Sivak as Dr. Barrett
- Kurt Evan as Rob Conelly
- Bronwen Smith as Julie
- Grace Vukovic as Megan
- Jim Shepard as Father Phillip
- Gil Hayward as Dr. Brewer
- Marilyn Vance as Dora
- Rosalynd Roome as Sarah Brewer