| Challenging, but Worth the Time |
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| written by talltale |
September 14, 2005 - 2:09 PM PDT |
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8 out of 9 members found this review helpful
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Todd Solondz takes another step forward with the original and disquieting PALINDROMES, which follows the journey of a 12-year-old girl (in under a year, if I'm not mistaken) into areas where no child should have to venture. The trip is made easier (for us, if not for her) by the distancing fact that she is played by a variety actresses of differing ages and colors, including another (small but) superlative performance by Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Themes include the right to life, death, sex and Jesus--incendiary, sure enough, but as Solondz handles them, the viewer is kept off-balance and unsure: not quite the norm for subjects such as these. This gives his film more heft & surprise and makes it less easy to dismiss out of hand (as one perhaps could manage with something such as "Citizen Ruth"). Here, the attitude is neither satiric nor camp nor syrupy nor... well, pick your typical tone: Solondz won't go there. Highly recommended for moviegoers not frightened by the thought of an interesting (perhaps not completely worked-through) challenge. |
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