Palindromes (2004)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Todd Solondz

Writer:

Todd Solondz (written by)

Release Date:

21 January 2005 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Adventure | Comedy

Plot:

Aviva is thirteen, awkward and sensitive. Her mother Joyce is warm and loving, as is her father, Steve, a regular guy who does have a fierce temper from time to time. The film revolves around her family, friends and neighbors.

Plot Keywords:

Innocence | Suburb | New Jersey | Kansas | Suicide

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Matthew Faber	...	Mark Wiener
Angela Pietropinto	...	Mrs. Wiener
Bill Buell	...	Mr. Wiener
Emani Sledge	...	'Dawn' Aviva
Ellen Barkin	...	Joyce Victor
Valerie Shusterov	...	'Judah' Aviva
Richard Masur	...	Steve Victor
Hillary B. Smith	...	Robin Wallace
Danton Stone	...	Bruce Wallace
Robert Agri	...	First Judah
Hannah Freiman	...	'Henry' Aviva
Stephen Singer	...	Dr. Fleischer
Rachel Corr	...	'Henrietta' Aviva
Stephen Adly Guirgis	...	Joe / Earl / Bob
Will Denton	...	'Huckleberry' Aviva

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Finland:K-15 | New Zealand:R18 | Germany:12 | Singapore:M18 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Hungary:16 | Argentina:13 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:16 | Japan:R-15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:Not Rated | Australia:R

Filming Locations:

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Company:

Extra Large Pictures

Trivia:

The names of the characters Aviva, Bob, and Otto are all palindromes - as per the title of the film.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: During the scene where Joyce Victor and Aviva are addressing envelopes, Mrs. Victor is licking stamps which are clearly self-adhesive.

Quotes:

Mama Sunshine Aviva: Last year, our special daughter Nainika ran away and... she didn't even have any legs. She wanted to return to her birthplace in India. Poor child. She didn't even make it as far as India, Tennessee.

Movie Connections:

References "Jackass" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Fight For The Children

weird world of Todd.

Todd Solondz returns with an excellent piece of film making in this very twisted fairy tale. It tells the story of Aviva who desperately wants to have a baby despite being very young. She craves loving attention and when not getting it at home believes that having a baby will bring her a strong enough bond to fill her emotional void. On falling pregnant after her first sexual encounter her parents insist she has an abortion, this she does but not happy she runs away from home. And so her story begins as she travels from one bizarre encounter to another, some funny and some sad. The pace of the film is pitched just right and it takes you along with the trial and tribulations of Aviva despite her being played by several different characters. This has been done to play with the audience's preconceptions of how you identify with a character depending on how they look and it works to startling effect. In between Aviva leaving home and the emotional reunion with her parents we are subjected to the seedy underbelly of Middle America within an array of characters the league of gentlemen boys would struggle to make up. Nothing seems taboo to Solondz and this makes for a refreshingly different movie experience if you can get your head around it. Shocking in places but ultimately rewarding to anyone prepared to give palindromes a chance.