Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Palindromes (2004)
Director: Todd Solondz
Movie review
From Time Out London
On paper, Todd Solondz’s latest attempt to deflate the suburban American dream suggests no drastic change of direction for the clued-up shock-master of American indie film – the filmmaker who delivered us the icky pleasures of ‘Happiness’ and ‘Storytelling’. Indeed a link to Solondz’s earlier films is made clear in the film’s opening scene: it’s the funeral following the suicide of Dawn Wiener, the teenage character at the heart of Solondz’s 1995 film ‘Welcome to the Dollhouse’. Is this a statement of intent from Solondz, a declaration that he is somehow breaking with his own filmmaking past?It hardly seems so. This time, our protagonist is again a scion of the Wiener family. Dawn’s cousin, Aviva, is a 12-year-old girl who falls pregnant as a result of an awkward fumble with Judah, a geeky family friend. Aviva’s distraught mother Joyce (Ellen Barkin) swiftly arranges a trip to Dr Fleischer, the local abortion doctor. The operation complete, Aviva runs away from home, falling into the hands first of ‘Joe’, a paedophile trucker, and then Mama Sunshine, an amiable matron who runs a happy-clappy care home for sick and disabled children. Here, Aviva meets ‘Joe’ again (now calling himself ‘Earl’) and joins him on a pro-life mission to murder an abortion doctor.
So far, so Solondz. As in his other films, the mood falls jarringly between the deathly serious and the camply comic (not least when Mama Sunshine’s kids break into a song-and-dance routine). But while ‘Welcome to the Dollhouse’, ‘Happiness’ and ‘Storytelling’ were essentially realist tales, ‘Palindromes’ isn’t bound by the same desire to remain credible. This is a fable – driven along by creepy, childish music – that draws on experiences from both sides of the liberal and conservative divide. To stress this, Solondz cast seven actresses (including Jennifer Jason Leigh) and one young actor to play Aviva, who is in turns white, black, thin, fat, young and old. Aviva is a canvas on which Solondz can draw his unsettling vision of Bush’s America. There’s no resolution here, no easy answer to the conflicts at the heart of modern America, but it’s a stark portrait of a troubled nation all the same.
Author: DC
Time Out London Issue 1811: May 04-11 2005, 2004
Cast & crew
Director: Todd Solondz
Producer: Derrick Tseng, Mike Ryan
Cast: Ellen Barkin, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Debra Monk, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Richard Masur, Sharon Wilkins full cast
Rated: 15
Duration: 100 mins
UK Release: May 6 2005
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
London Children's Film Festival
Read our exclusive reviews of films playing at the 2009 London Children’s Film Festival
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Michael Haneke discusses 'The White Ribbon'
Dave Calhoun met with Michael Haneke in Munich to mull over the details of his Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'
Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?
Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations












What do you think?
Post your review now