'Dollhouse'
Daily reviews and interviews
Reviewed by Marc Savlov, Fri., March 16, 2012
Dollhouse
Emerging VisionsD: Kirsten Sheridan; with Seána Kerslake, Shane Curry, Jack Reynor
Anyone familiar with the work of Irish director Sheridan knows she's not one to shy away from confrontational, often emotionally volatile topics that, in one way or another, focus on the reckless abandon of youth. Her 2001 debut feature, Disco Pigs, still sets a person vibrating 11 years on, but even that stunner pales in comparison to Dollhouse, which is simply incendiary. Working with teenage actors from a 15-page outline and completely improvisational dialogue, Sheridan's film is like Lord of the Flies meets A Clockwork Orange, jacked up on pills and booze, twisted teenage hormones gone mad. Newcomer Seána Kerslake is Jeannie, the fragile, terrified heart of a story that momentarily leaps into heaven before crashing back down to a ruinously banal postpubescent bacchanal gone haywire. Indescribable, unforgettable, and a damn near perfect piece of art, Dollhouse is the real, frightening deal.
Saturday, March 17, 5pm, Stateside
