IMDb > Palindromes (2004)
Palindromes
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Palindromes (2004) More at IMDbPro »

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Palindromes (2004) -- 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.
Palindromes (2004) -- Moviesbox.us - Trailer (Flash)
Palindromes (2004) -- Virgin.net Movies - Trailer (WMP)
Palindromes (2004) -- AllTrailers.net - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   5,805 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 14% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Todd Solondz
Writer:
Todd Solondz (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Palindromes on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
21 January 2005 (Sweden) more
Genre:
Drama | Adventure | Comedy more
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. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(15 articles)
Tiff ‘09: Short Takes
 (From SoundOnSight. 24 September 2009, 9:54 AM, PDT)

Toronto Mini: 'Life During Wartime' treads familiar ground
 (From Hitfix. 21 September 2009, 9:00 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
'Can you get pregnant when it goes in there?' more (107 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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
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Additional Details

Runtime:
100 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Hebrew
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Filming Locations:
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Heather Matarazzo turned down reprising the role of Dawn Wiener in this film. more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: The film takes place in New Jersey, yet in one of the hitch-hiking scenes we see a road sign for US Route 3, which in reality is located in New Hampshire. To make matters worse, in the background of the same scenes we see directional signs for "Ellenville" and "Route 199", which reveals the actual filming location of Kingston, NY. more
Quotes:
Joyce Victor: [Talking about Aviva's unborn fetus] It's not a baby. It's just a tumor. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Life During Wartime (2009) more
Soundtrack:
Nobody Jesus But You more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
22 out of 28 people found the following comment useful.
'Can you get pregnant when it goes in there?', 26 October 2005
7/10
Author: Shawn Watson (gator_macready@yahoo.com) from The Underverse

While not exactly a 'part 2' kind of sequel to Welcome to the Dollhouse, Palindromes is more than a film just set in the same universe. Several characters from Dollhouse are featured and many references are made to events in said previous movie. It's best to be familiar with Dollhouse first before watching Palindromes.

Dawn Weiner, our lovely protagonist from Dollhouse, is dead. She committed suicide after getting pregnant from a date-rape. And even in death people cannot hold back on talking trash about her. Her 12-year-old cousin Aviva (she IS 12, a lot of people are mentioning various ages, she only turns 13 at the end) is so affecting by her tragic life that she vows to never turn out like her.

Her mum (Ellen Barkin who appears to have had some dodgy face-lift) promises that will never happen as she loves Aviva more than Dawn's family loved her. Which could not be further than the truth. As soon as she becomes pregnant to some horny boy Aviva's mum shows her true colors. She is selfish, ignorant and downright cruel. Her dad also. They may well be angry but that's no excuse for the pressure they put her under.

Aviva is forced into having an abortion. But it goes wrong and she ends up having an emergency hysterectomy. Thinking only of the effect it has upon herself, Aviva's mum keeps this part secret from her. Obviously devastated at the lost of her unborn child, Aviva takes off on a journey to find a new lover and make a new baby, unaware that she never will.

Upon this journey Aviva is played by many different actresses, all of whom portray her with the same facial expressions and mannerisms. She meets a variety of characters, including her cousin Mark (Dawn's older brother), a trucker who isn't a pedo but loves her anyway and family of disabled Jesus loving Christians who secretly fund abortionist assassinations.

It's bizarre and sometimes outrageous journey full of some typical Todd Solondz moments; scenes where the far-fetched becomes very believable because human-nature often stretches beyond normality when no one is looking. It was sad to see that Mark Weiner's life ruined in the way that it is. But he came through as a more mature and sympathetic character than the bully older brother he was before. And he did have some good scenes.

Now, about the whole pre-teen sexuality thing. I do not have a problem with this but I know a lot of people do. I don't find anything offensive about it but this is the third time Solondz has tackled the subject. Is he into it? Is he against it? Does he find it humorous? Or does he just use it as an easy way to rile us up and make us react? While it's integral to the story, it's not anything a fan of Solondz hasn't seen before.

Palindromes more than about a girl who's name is the spelled forwards as backwards. It's a film about how life goes around in circles and no one really ever changes or goes anywhere. It sounds like a pointless journey when I put it that way. But it's worth it.

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