With WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, Todd Solondz became one of the most talked-about new directors in the 90s with his acclaimed comedy about the suburban condition. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, the 'dramedy' follows 11-year-old Dawn Wienerdog Wiener, a junior high geek who just wants to be popular. Teased by her classmates, tormented by the school bully, Dawn develops an improbable plan to seduce the star of a high-school garage band. Welcome to the Dollhouse is a comedy of cringe, capturing all the discomfort and gawkiness of coming of age. Solondz’s film is funny but always uncomfortably so, as each and every character’s selfish, sadistic side is exposed and enacted. Nobody comes out of this looking pretty, and dignity – a key word in the film – is always far removed from these characters’ Darwinian struggles to survive their day without being rejected, mistreated or much, much worse. "The suffering in Dawn's life unfolds with almost unbearable intensity. True to the motto "It can't get any worse", the viewer follows her life story. Far from the mainstream and the conventional hero's journey, the film presents a completely alternative coming-of-age story." (Sooner curator Ayla Yildiz) "I had wanted to call the film Faggots and Retards, but I knew I had to be responsible if I wanted it to sell. The working title had been Middle Child – something that could have been a Disney film – because I didn’t want to attract any undue attention. When you’re dealing with children and sexuality, you have to be cautious. In the end, I took the title from the song in the movie." (Director Todd Solondz)
Todd Solondz's key film of the 90s and Sundance winner manages the balancing act between coming-of-age and social criticism with sublime radicalism.
With WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, Todd Solondz became one of the most talked-about new directors in the 90s with his acclaimed comedy about the suburban condition. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, the 'dramedy' follows 11-year-old Dawn Wienerdog Wiener, a junior high geek who just wants to be popular. Teased by her classmates, tormented by the school bully, Dawn develops an improbable plan to seduce the star of a high-school garage band.
Welcome to the Dollhouse is a comedy of cringe, capturing all the discomfort and gawkiness of coming of age. Solondz’s film is funny but always uncomfortably so, as each and every character’s selfish, sadistic side is exposed and enacted. Nobody comes out of this looking pretty, and dignity – a key word in the film – is always far removed from these characters’ Darwinian struggles to survive their day without being rejected, mistreated or much, much worse.
"The suffering in Dawn's life unfolds with almost unbearable intensity. True to the motto "It can't get any worse", the viewer follows her life story. Far from the mainstream and the conventional hero's journey, the film presents a completely alternative coming-of-age story." (Sooner curator Ayla Yildiz)
"I had wanted to call the film Faggots and Retards, but I knew I had to be responsible if I wanted it to sell. The working title had been Middle Child – something that could have been a Disney film – because I didn’t want to attract any undue attention. When you’re dealing with children and sexuality, you have to be cautious. In the end, I took the title from the song in the movie." (Director Todd Solondz)