| Overall Grade: |
C |
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| Story: |
C |
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| Acting: |
D |
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| Direction: |
B- |
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| Visuals: |
C |
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Doll Factory Has Slight Inspiration, Nothing More
by Ed (movies profile)
Apr 4, 2006
3
of
3 people found this review helpful
It was difficult to avoid the movie's bizarre trailer during last year's holiday season if you went to see high-profile indie films like "Brokeback Mountain" or "Transamerica". With the seemingly malformed doll parts coming to eerie life over a symphonic cacophony, one didn't know what to expect with this movie, and film auteur Steven Soderbergh obviously prefers it that way. As the first of six films he plans to make in high definition and simultaneously release on cable, in theaters and on DVD, this is a most unpromising start. With a story structure provided by Coleman Hough, the plot focuses on three doll factory workers in rural West Virginia whose lives intersect in unexpected yet enervating ways. In her forties, Martha is an overweight, nurturing woman who finds herself drawn to Kyle, a dead-eyed, reticent 19-year old holding down two jobs and living with his mother. Complicating their complacent existence is Rose, a cynical single mother whose restlessness and moral ambiguity provide the impetus for the three to face some unintended consequences.
At a running time of 72 minutes, the movie crawls for about fifty minutes until a twist makes it momentarily come to life only to fade again by the end. Only a filmmaker of Soderbergh's cajones would cast three amateurs in such a draining story and use the doll factory as a metaphor for the socioeconomic desolation of people who don't have a clue how to better their lives. Even with some contrived lighting effects, it all smacks of condescension when Soderbergh appears to go to great pains to make what looks and feels like a student film. It's hardly worth criticizing the three leads - Debbie Doebereiner as Martha, Dustin James Ashley as Kyle, Misty Dawn Wilkins as Rose - since their once-in-a-lifetime casting speaks for itself. That they come across as natural is a big accomplishment though hardly a reason to watch the movie, as their improvised dialogue is continually banal. There is one irritatingly excessive performance by K. Smith as Jake, Rose's ex-boyfriend, though I have to say Decker Moody's straight-ahead approach to the police inspector provides a nice jolt (he is unsurprisingly a real policeman).
You know a movie is severely lacking when the DVD extras easily overshadow it, including an enlightening interview with Soderbergh on the genesis of not only the film but also the business deal he made to make these experimental films. There are two commentary tracks - an interesting one with Soderbergh and fellow director Mark Romanek and another one with the three leads and Hough (who seems to have a natural way of drawing out the non-actors). Also included is a featurette showing the three leads in their real everyday lives where they come across as more energetic and interesting than their characters, as well as their revealing audition interviews. There's even a wisely deleted scene which provides too much of an explanation for the plot twist, and of course, there is that weird trailer. I'm hoping Soderbergh's second effort will be more noteworthy. |
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