Dolls for Strangers (2012)

After his sister's mysterious leg paralysis, Tony searches for an explanation by making voodoo dolls for people, hoping to see similar results.

Director:

Ken Cohen

Writer:

Ken Cohen

Stars:

Melissa-Anne Blizzard, Steve Earnest, Leslie Jafarace

Cast

Credited cast:
Melissa-Anne Blizzard	...	Sandra
Steve Earnest	...	Chaz
Leslie Jafarace	...	Acupuncturist
Mark Jurosko	...	Tony
Eric Lavoie	...	Dr. Feldman
Shana Meyerand	...	Melanie - Sister
Serena Nichols	...	Voodoo Client 2
Mindi Penn	...	Voodoo Client 1

Storyline

After his sister's mysterious leg paralysis, Tony searches for an explanation by making voodoo dolls for people, hoping to see similar results.

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Genres:

Short | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 January 2012 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Soft Blanket Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

14 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Elephant"
Written and Performed by Rosanna Hendrix

User Reviews

Intriguing Concept With Strong Performances

It may take a second viewing of Dolls for Strangers in order to really get it. It moves pretty fast and doesn't always follow a chronological order. But, I mean it as a compliment to say after watching it the first time, I wanted to see it again. I wanted to revisit the characters and story to help me fill in what I missed. It's a clever idea--taking Vodoo far away from its African-Caribbean origins and moving it to what looks like a pretty standard American suburb. A young guy, Tony, has figured out how to run a business making dolls--kind of a Voodoo for Hire. He has a personal connection to this with his sister, too, whom he suspects was a victim of it.

Visually, I think it's flawless, and has a dark and dreamy quality to it--with a haunting piano theme that doesn't intrude over the images. Because it's so short, the whole thing plays out almost like a poem on film as opposed to a traditional narrative with dialog (although there is dialog). It raises a lot of questions, and after watching it, you're bound to come up with even more questions. Fortunately, writer-director Ken Cohen knew there was no point in trying to give any answers. Trying to explain anything you see in this film would just end up unsatisfying.