Review of Welcome to the Dollhouse (1996) by Tibor B — 14 Nov 2008

An incisive look at the emotional cruelties of growing up from the master of misfits, Todd Solondz. You'll want to cry as you laugh, and this film is the perfect antidote to every moronic American High School film ever made.

Dawn Matarazzo is great as the misunderstood and bullied 11 year old who just wants to be popular. The film feels like it's going towards a big emotional climax, and one plot development which could end in tragedy is resolved in a suitably underwhelming manner.

Of course Solondz is true to his apparently bitter, but comic outlook on life and the film ends on a note of quiet desperation. The Dawn inside you will sympathise...