Review: Dollhouse

 

Dark, artsy, and featuring some hauntingly catchy music, this flick was hard to watch, but impossible to ignore.

With renewed interest in the Britney Spears’ conservatorship and the #FreeBritney movement, a film where the pop star protagonist literally has someone else pulling her strings seems like a clever way to make a point.

Unfortunately, Dollhouse gets distracted by the spectacle of tragedy, and leans a bit too hard into showing off the awfulness to really speak truth to power. The tagline boldly calls out “The Eradication of Female Subjectivity from American Popular Culture”, but succeeds in disenfranchising the child star long before the ravages of fame do. There are plenty of villains involved in Junie’s journey, from her fame-hungry stage mother, to the record company exec who purposefully oversexualizes her and then throws her to the wolves, to the publicist who spins her struggles into attention grabbing stories, to various celebrities-by-association, to her obsessive fans. But without a voice of her own, or any other redeeming characters to root for or relate to, Junie Spoons’ story seems like yet another attempt to profit off her (fictional) fame.

The “trans Junie” character and storyline is, ideally, an attempt at commentary on individual entitlement to the identity of public figures, a la Perfect Blue. But it ends up feeling like a punch down rather than a psychological ploy. Additionally, it muddies the waters as to whether this is meant to take place in our reality, or a fictional universe populated by living dolls. The interview with Diane Sawyer references Rihanna as another existing celebrity, which, in combination with an earlier reference to Honey Boo Boo, gives the impression that these events are supposed to be set in our reality. However, the judges of “Tiny Idol” informing Junie they can see her strings, her facial “crack” after a breakdown during an interview, and her weighing in at merely 6 oz. after being kidnapped seems to imply a more plastic setting.

The fictional universe makes more sense, although in either case, the unchanging expressions of the puppets serve as a brilliant touch. The deadpan faces stand in stark contrast to the outrageous events and situations being described, and highlight the voice acting talents of Sydney Bonar, Aneikit Bonnel, Erik Hoover, Peter Ooley and Nicole Brending herself.

If you’re of the opinion that art should disturb you, this Rock Salt Releasing production from TriCoast Studios should hold massive appeal. But personally, I’m more than happy to be able to close the door to this dollhouse.