Palindromes

I still found myself shivering of the affects of this film. I found the characters to be deeply emotional, at times disturbing yet oddly enough neither attractive nor repulsive. If you were offended by "The Woodsman"...then seeing this film would not be advised. "The Woodsman" largely hinted at things...and seldom "went there." This film not only "goes there," but on a certain level normalizes it. I sincerely doubt any abuse survivor with unresolved issues could see this film without becoming upset. Likewise, I doubt that any person with a physical challenge/disability could see this film without being irritated...both of these things are sad, in my eyes, because what Solondz does really well is not judge the process...he presents his characters in an every day way because they are part of everyday life.

All of these characters are deeply human...wounded souls...some do wonderful things for selfish reasons, some do horrible things for noble reasons...others seem to merely survive. There are a number of standout performances, and there are other performances where you look at the screen and are trying to figure out "Is that on purpose?" For example, the opening "Aviva" is a young African-American actress of probably 9 or 10...quite honestly, she's a rather horrid actress who appears to be reading lines off the cue card...while she looks adorable...well, her delivery was simply awkward...and yet, as time went on, I found this characterization balancing wonderfully with the others...perhaps the most powerful portrayal is offered by the "Mama Sunshine" Aviva...portrayed by Sharon Wilkins, a large African-American female...older, and clearly not a child...clearly not innocent...yet the whole scene is played off as though she is AND Wilkins is mesmerizing. Likewise, the wondrous Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Aviva after she has returned home and adds a weathered, yet tender touch to the character that is just hypnotic. Additionally, her insistence to invite a family member who is alleged to be a pedophile leads to one of the most quietly powerful conversations I've seen on film this year ending with these classic lines:

Mark Wiener: By the way, I'm not a pedophile.

Aviva: I know. Pedophiles LOVE children.

Simply powerful.

"Palindromes" is a challenging film...it is, at times, a tad boring and has definite pockets where the acting is not up to par. Yet, in reality, I can't help but feel this was an intentional move by Solondz. It's as if he wants us to realize...that we can change our looks, our voices, our boobs, our bodies, our talents, our gifts, our color...but who we are doesn't change. Selfish people will always be selfish...happy people will always find a way to be happy. Challenging, thought provoking and deeply human...Todd Solondz, backward and forward, is simply an outstanding, courageous storyteller and a unique, insightful and gifted director.

Todd Solondz (Happiness, Storytelling) is one of the most unique filmmakers of the last few decades and for my money, one of the most creative as well. He places American suburbia in the ugliest frame possible but manages to find some very dark humor within all the twisted sadness he portrays. He takes people we normally don't want to know and examines them intimately enough that we must chose wether we like them or hate them more than we could ever imagine. His latest film was 2004's Palindromes, and it is no exception to his style. Solondz does more of the same but it almost seems that with Palindromes he wanted to explore his themes and style with even more depth. Some viewers may think this means Palindromes is likely to be more disturbing, but really it is his style and his unrestrained creative madness that is more on display than the kind of content within his films that often justify his troubling reputation. Although, like Happiness, Solondz explores child molestation and sexual deviance further than anyone, and many will not want to join him on this ride.

Aviva (played by 8 different actors, including Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a thirteen year old girl that is profoundly sad and who has only one motivation in her life. She wishes to have a child so she may be loved by someone for the rest of her life. She decides that in order to have a child she will have sex with an unsavory family friend named Judah. Aviva's mother (Ellen Barkin) is devastated to find that Aviva is pregnant and orders her to get an abortion. The doctor informs Aviva's parents that she is no longer capable of having children after the procedure, but her parents never actually inform Aviva of this complication. She soon runs away from home to continue her quest to have a child. She has sex with a pedofile truck driver who then abandons her. Aviva's travels then bring her to a Christian fundamentalist group who cares for misfits kids without a home. The head of this group is also involved in organizing the assassinations of doctors at abortion clinics, and one of his associates is the same pedofile truck driver who Aviva had relations with earlier in the film. She is of course drawn to him again. The truck driver, whose name is eventually revealed to be Bob, despite his constant need to use aliases and try to change what he is and what he is perceived as, is assigned to kill the doctor who completed Aviva's procedure. Aviva goes with him and Bob accidently murders the doctor's young daughter in addition to killing the doctor. He feels terrible for this and expresses how stupid it was for him to think that actions like that could change what he is. By the film's end Aviva reunites with Judah, who now calls him self Otto. She has sex with him again, completely oblivious to the fact that she cannot have a child.

There are a few different reasons I think Solondz decided to use seven actresses and one young actor to portray Aviva. For one, the obvious stand against convention is a Solondz trademark. The diversity of the group that plays Aviva is also wide and perhaps more provoking for that alone. So each actor was probably cast without regard for visuals and more for their performance in their particular scenes. The primary reason I think Solondz did this though was to show that no matter what you look like on the outside you can't change what you are. Aviva will always be Aviva no matter what she looks like on the surface. Even if you spell her name backwards she will always be Aviva and Aviva will always want a child to call her mom.