Palindromes

Well, that makes Solondz four-for-four, I guess. His films are so distinctive despite not having a particularly unique visual style - one could call it Solondzian.

Dark humor that made me laugh, then made me kind of feel embarrassed about laughing. Overall pretty sharp and engaging, but a bit uneven, and at times (though not throughout) a tad gimmicky. Some of the actresses were great, a few annoyed me.

Some movies you forget as soon as you leave the theatre. Some have you talking for days. Some months. Palindromes is one of those movies that never leaves you.

Explores the usual Solondz theme of budding sexuality, but also touches on some pretty interesting themes about reproductive rights, identity, and the ways in which people never change. Regarding abortion, I like how the film doesn't take sides, or perhaps takes both sides. There's no easy answers here (though there are a few cheap shots, which diminish the intended comedic value). The multiple actors in a single role thing is gimmicky, but it's done well here.

I officially gave up on Todd Solondz. I'd like to think that I understand the so-called complexity of his films, and not repulsed by ignorance. Maybe it's something I lack as a viewer. But how could anyone tell? It was way too much for me. The ugliness and the allegedly noble aspect of it.

A deliciously horrible film I both did and didn't enjoy.

Todd Solondz is an idiot.

A young girl runs away from home and ends up on an odyssey of weirdness. About a dozen different actresses play her, too. Wonderfullly strange, funny, and thoroughly misanthropic, the latter of which is refreshing after so many happy-happy-joy-joy Hollywood films

A movie that makes me feel very sick and still somehow makes me laugh in certain parts. Uncle Mark explaining how the movie works (with the whole “different bodies, same character”) and reflecting philosophically about life felt like a Todd Solondz self-insert (and I mean this in a good way)

A tough watch. I appreciate some narrative and stylistic choices, but I wasn't blown away by it; it's fine.

Plain Jane production values, horrendous acting, and the multiple actress gimmick are probably meant to disengage audience emotional investment, and in turn enhance critical thinking. A nice film theory, but I don't think it holds up. My time gets spent thinking about things that engaged my emotions, not pushed them away with contrived shock value. This styleless movie's hopeless misanthropy feels a step away from a suicide note.

This film was gloomy beyond compare. Tortuous.

67.000

Like a great meal for the mind. Covers many topics that most other film-makers wouldn't go near with a 20 foot pole, and does so in a seemingly gimmicky fashion, but it ends up keeping the movie interesting and engaging to watch. Like Harmony Korine, Todd Solondz points his camera at some of the weirdest and some of the most disturbed people and empathises with them (but sometimes in a slanted way). The breakfast scene at the Sunshine's house is all sorts of amazing.

I'm not sure how much the decision to have Aviva played by a handful of different actresses really enhanced the movie, even after reading Solondz's explanatory notes in the DVD package. No matter; enigmatic structural choices aside, this is a thoughtful, powerful film, dark in subject matter and even darker in humour.

An interesting experiment, if not an interesting story.

Goes one Brecht too far.

31 Ekim 2012, visiual culture dersinde & Palindromes, cogu amerikan bagimsizi gibi ilginc ve zekice bir fikri alip derinlemesine isleyecegine gerizekalica kullaniyor. Filmin tum felsefesi, filmin son sahnesinde bir adamin agzindan dokulmese eger filme daha iyi yaklasabilirdim. Nihilizme varan determinist bir anlayis uzerine kurulmus bir film. Son derece pesimist bir anti-varolusculuk barindiriyor.

"Palindromes" has a very unconventional storytelling style which may demand multiple viewings, but it's definitely a movie you won't soon forget (typical of Solondz films). Check out "Welcome to the Dollhouse" first for a twist that will turn your head around.

Deceptively Moving

A very fucked up fairy tale. That's something I like.

"Solondz fancies himself a spokesman for the socially oppressed but does to celluloid what future serial killers of the world do to butterfly wings." - Ed Gonzalez

I liked the directing and the plot structure. The plot itself had some weaker sections and much of the acting is subpar.

This is the strangest movie i ever seen..or think i have seen..cause i dont know what i just watched..It was a strange and odd pro choice or a girl going thru 80 personalities..I dont know..its Solenz..what can you say

I may be in the minority, but I actually believe Solondz when he says he loves his characters. I think he highlights their flaws and ugliness because that's exactly what endears them to him. He invokes complex feelings: Yes, I laughed at the Sunshine family's dance number, but there's a tenderness there that is unmistakable.

An underrated film from Todd Solondz. Its central idea of having multiple actresses (and an actor) play the same female character can be obtuse at first, more for the chapter breaks than the idea itself, but it is a very interesting take on how people remain the same, taking controversial subjects like abortion in its stride but never being shocking for the sake of it. In fact its a very humanist film, an aspect of Solondz that has been ignored but thankfully had grown the more films he's made.

Artistically bankrupt

Palindromes: 7 // 8 // 6 // 7 // 9 // 7 // 9

I personally thought the gimmick of sharing the same universe as Welcome to the Dollhouse was more distracting than the lead actor changing, but then again I am glad the comparison is pointed out as it might have felt more like a retread. The comedy and drama mix is still very well done, but not as much as Happiness making this my least favorite of Solondz's I've seen.

Trademark Solondz indeed. The Sunshine family home sequence is pure brilliance.

What an excellent idea. Solondz definitely has an imagination. Like his other movies, it dares you to laugh at what's going on but you can't help yourself since it's such good black comedy. Get it for the original gimmick, stay for the black comedy and the themes it explores.

It's weird.

Solondz's worst movie by far. It is easy to see why no one would fund this piece of shit. There is a good movie here but it's hidden by extreme misanthropy and nihilistic views that just don't translate to the screen.

I knew what to expect from Mr. Solondz. Weird, weird, weird awesome stuff.

I'm biased because I've always been partial to Todd Solondz. The gimmick didn't bother me as much as it did some other people, and I'm definitely looking forward to his next.

Just OK. Heavy handed and boring in stretches - an exercise that hardly feels complete.

i love watching ugly people do shit

always an intresting director, this strange experiment with 8 actors doing the same role is successfull, yet, the lightness of dealing with sex and kids is disturbing.

Why can poking fun at the real world be so controversial?

Strange and dark. Trademark Solondz.

on one hand, it's awful. on the other hand, i had a great time.

I may be totally unaware what's going on here, for me it was manipulative with a sneaky undercurrent.

A movie that, for better or worse, really sticks to you. I loved it.