Review of Welcome to the Dollhouse (1996) by Lovro H — 23 Jan 2016

Oh dear, this was weird. Welcome to the Dollhouse is about the life of a 7th grader who has a very hard time in school and at home because of her siblings who seem to be taking every inch of attention.

This movie is basicaly about Dawn, the 7th grader I mentioned, and her school/home life. It's a drama, but with a lot of comedy mixed in and it works most of the time. I do have to admit that the scenes between Dawn and Steve, an older guy who she has a crush for, are extremely cringey! Not because of the acting, it's just awkward seeing how they interact with each other, but I believe that was the movie's intention.

The acting is great, while I'm at that subject. The performances are believable and the characters, as well. Everything is as it's supposed to be. Nothing is overblown or sugarcoated. The direction is great and I love the look of the movie.

It's colorful, yet the story isn't. I love those contrasts in movies like this. The soundtrack is, too, great. What I didn't really get was the ending. I mean, it's not that I don't get it, it's just that I found it unsatisfying.

No spoiling it, though. There's not much more that I can say about the movie except that it's worth checking out for its odd feeling and a realistic portrayal of Dawn's life.