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.

Director:

Todd Solondz

Writer:

Todd Solondz

Stars:

Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ellen Barkin, Stephen Adly Guirgis

3 nominations.

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

Storyline

A fable of innocence: thirteen-year-old Aviva Victor wants to be a 'mom'. She does all she can to make this happen, and comes very close to succeeding, but in the end her plan is thwarted by her sensible parents. So she runs away, still determined to get pregnant one way or another, but instead finds herself lost in another world, a less sensible one, perhaps, but one pregnant itself with all sorts of strange possibility. She takes a road trip from the suburbs of New Jersey, through Ohio to the plains of Kansas and back. Like so many trips, this one is round-trip, and it's hard to say in the end if she can ever be quite the same again, or if she can ever be anything but the same again.

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Plot Keywords:

multiple actors for one character | f word | pedophilia | sunlight | toilet | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

K-15

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew

Release Date:

10 March 2006 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Palindromes - nyrjähtänyt rakkaustarina

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$57,251, 17 April 2005

Gross USA:

$553,368

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$809,686

Company Credits

Production Co:

Extra Large Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The names of the characters Aviva, Bob, and Otto are all palindromes - as per the title of the film.

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Goofs

When 'Judah' Aviva Victor and Judah are lying in bed, between shots the bedsheets move from covering their waist, to up to their necks.

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Quotes

Mama Sunshine Aviva: Last year, our special daughter Nainika ran away and... she didn't even have any legs. She wanted to return to her birthplace in India. Poor child. She didn't even make it as far as India, Tennessee.

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Crazy Credits

In loving memory of Dawn Wiener.

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Connections

Spoofed in Hellboy 2: Kultainen armeija (2008)

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Soundtracks

Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Major, Op. 23
Written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

User Reviews

Worth seeing, even if Solondz scares you.

Obviously the film isn't for everyone and anyone who has seen Happiness or Welcome to the Dollhouse knows what they're in for. The film sat well with me though.. far from the sadistic gut-kickings of Happiness, the characters here are broken softly and with great sadness. The subject matter of the film will turn many people off (violently), but the actual execution I found inoffensive, and a worthwhile trip. I'm convinced that Mark Weiner's reappearance at the end of the film is a stand-in for Solondz himself, as he dryly confirms that he is not a pervert, and is in return told by the protagonist that he is too passionless to be a pervert. There's more soul searching in this film than misanthropy and it's a positive turn for the director.