Palindromes Review
By Joe Lozito
Misshapen Identity
Todd Solondz has a scary way with reality. As a director, he stays out of the way, using the camera almost as a window into the scenes he creates without passing judgment. As a writer, the situations he creates are usually difficult and uncomfortable to watch, but they never feel forced. His "Welcome to the Dollhouse" and "Happiness" established him as a major talent and now with "Palindromes", Mr. Solondz has to be careful that he doesn't lose his grounding. He hasn't slipped as far as Wes Anderson, whose filmography has devolved from natural quirkiness into forced eccentricity, but with "Palindromes" his characters are playing dangerously close to the line between reality and caricature.
The film opens with the funeral of the Dawn Wiener, the main character from "Dollhouse". Apparently Dawn committed suicide when she found out she was pregnant. The film then follows the effects of this event on a young girl named Aviva. Mr. Solondz structures the film as a series of short vignettes, with one of eight different actresses (one's actually a boy and one's Jennifer Jason Leigh) playing Aviva. That we never lose track of the different Avivas, even when they sometimes go by the name Henrietta, is a tribute to Mr. Solondz' solid script.
The Aviva actresses are uniformly splendid, with the ones who don't fit the role providing the most interesting interpretations. Sharon Wilkins in particular, typically relegated to roles with names like "Heavy Black Woman", gives a quietly memorable performance.
At times the film seems more like an acting exercise for its cast, particularly Ellen Barkin as Aviva's beleaguered mother. Ms. Barkin plays it slightly over-the-top but, to her credit, keeps the role believable and consistent even though the actresses playing her daughter continually shift with each scene. Debra Monk, as a devout Christian running a makeshift children's shelter, also shines in the appropriately-named role Mama Sunshine.
While the casting gimmick in "Palindromes" makes for an interesting viewing experience, it actually works against the film. The audience can't form any real emotional bond with Aviva, who goes through some typically harrowing Solondzian experiences, so we watch from a distance. It would appear that Mr. Solondz is not interested in the character, he's using this method to explore an issue, but it's not clear which one he wants to dissect. Teen pregnancy, suicide, religious zealotry, pedophilia? They're all in here. Mr. Solondz likes to play with his audience; he's at his best when he creates real characters in real situations full of moral ambiguity. While "Palindromes" wouldn't be as interesting without its multi-cast leading role, it leaves you wishing Mr. Solondz had set the gimmickry aside and kept it real.
