Dawn is a shy eleven-year-old girl, embarrassed and misunderstood by her family and her classmates. Her older brother is a nerd who plays the clarinet, and her younger sister, who dances ballet in a tutu, teases her nonstop and always gets away with it as she is her mom’s favorite. Her only friend is an effeminate little boy, since her other classmates bully and insult her, vandalize her locker, and call her a lesbian. Even if she is not very pretty or very sociable, Dawn makes efforts to carry on and survive junior high school.
Todd Solondz made a name for himself with his sophomore film, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 1996, revealing to the world his cynical, biting humor, yet full of mercy at times, which characterizes his entire filmography.
Credits
Title: Welcome to the Dollhouse
Year: 1995
Runtime: 87′
Country: USA
Direction: Todd Solondz
Screenplay: Todd Solondz
Cast: Heather Matarazzo, Angela Pietropinto, Victoria Davis
Cinematography: Randy Drummond
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Wins and nominations
1995: Sundance Film Festival – Grand Jury Award
1995 – Independent Spirit Awards – Best Debut Performance (Heather Matarazzo) and nominated for Best Film, Direction, Supporting Actor and Best Debut Performance
1995 – National Board of Review – Special Recognition
