Welcome to the Dollhouse

After having written and directed Welcome to the Dollhouse it is unlikely that anyone who has seen the film would call Todd Solondz an optimist. In his film 11-year-old Dawn struggles with her own unpopularity in school, her growing sexuality and her parents, who only pay attention to her little sister, Missy, everybody's darling.

All this would be unbearable to watch if it was not for the black humour that governs the tone of this intelligent film. What is more, the heroine is a girl who does not give up that easily.