28. Welcome to the Dollhouse

Welcome to the Dollhouse wouldn’t have been nearly as fascinating without Heather Matarazzo’s brilliant performance as young Dawn Wiener, a 7th grader who must suffer through the torments of classmates being immeasurably cruel. She’s of the awkward age where she starts developing into a woman, and she can’t cope with the immeasurable amounts of change. She develops a crush on one of her brother’s hunky garage band mates but can’t find a way to get him to respond to her sexually. Meanwhile, one of her classmates threatens to rape her if she shows up outside after school. So tempted is she to finally experience the joy of sex, she decides to show up.

Filmmaker Todd Solondz effectively captures a gruesome side of growing up that many of us don’t want to remember but are too scarred by to forget. Dollhouse creates a mantle of realism that could have been universally acknowledged if it weren’t so quickly forgotten. Saluted by critics and ignored by filmgoers, this well written film is a jewel that belongs at the front of your catch-it-on-video queue. (Wesley Lovell)