Todd Solondz returns with a sort of sequel to Welcome to the Dollhouse (it's at least in the Dollhouse universe). Aviva is a 12-year-old girl who wants to be a mother. When her efforts to have a baby are thwarted by her parents, Aviva runs away, still determined to get pregnant. In this strange new world, she encounters bizarre individuals and new possibilities.
Solondz again touches on several controversial issues including teen pregnancy, abortion, and pedophilia, which are sure to create some debate, though as usual the film is not about those issues. The real theme of the film is presaged by its title. Like a palindrome which reads the same when spelled forward or backward, the main thrust of the film is the question whether things or people can really change.
Solondz ups the ante even further by having multiple actors of various ages, sizes, and races portray Aviva. While it risks the tag of "gimmick," it also allows Aviva to represent a sort of "everygirl" without the preconceptions an audience may hold based on her appearance. (Dan Krovich/BOP)
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