Welcome To The Dollhouse
Todd Solondz's Welcome To The Dollhouse very accurately captures familiar themes and situations from an awkward child's middle school years. From having completely apathetic parents to being threatened by rape, it proves to be a little extreme -- but the resemblance to personal experiences is gruesome. Being in high school and having finished 8th grade two years ago, I think that, while painful, it is the most interesting to reflect upon these experiences now. Although it's an Rated R film, I would say that teenagers are the ideal audience, as opposed elementary school students going into middle school, or grade school kids themselves. It was additionally interesting to see these "typical" events take place during the mid 90s. The snazzy outfits and outstanding mise en scene throughout the film made it all the more enjoyable. It was also entertaining to watch the characters change and mature over time. While Dawn simply discovers many new things, as I see it, Brandon undergoes the most change. Having been introduced as a bully, Brandon's transformation into an overly-passionate gentleman is rather surprising. It is revealed that his reputation is only a tough-guy act and he is not truly capable of acts like raping an innocent girl or dealing drugs. I feel that this film successfully reached into the depths of a pre-teen's character to remind us all what we have been suppressing for all these years.
Good post Max--what would you take away as a filmmaker? (What would you apply to your own work?)
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