humor and
the human
condition
Todd Solondz
Todd Solondz
Todd Solondz
Welcome to the Dollhouse
(1995) Directed by Todd Solondz
l
Friday - November 30 - 9:30 p.m.
This dark, hilarious, suburban comedy
follows the travails of Dawn Wiener, a shy,
unpopular 7th-grade girl who is mercilessly
teased at school, in the middle of New
Jersey. Sometimes hated, often reviled,
seldom understood, Dawn tries in vain to
put on a happy and friendly face as she
struggles through the onset of what looks
to be a long puberty. Life is generally
grim, she sees, and sometimes it only
gets grimmer. Nevertheless, she does find
moments of grace amidst the pain and
humiliation of her first series of frustrated
love affairs. The film won Grand Jury Prize
for best dramatic feature at the Sundance
Film Festival. (35mm. 88 min. Rated R.)
Happiness
(1998)
Directed by Todd Solondz
Saturday - December 1 - 6:30 p.m.
Happiness is a perplexing dark comedy of
perversion. The film challenges its viewers in all
of the best ways it's desperate and sad, yet we
laugh, as we attempt to understand the characters,
some of whom are despicable. The film is an
ensemble piece with its main focus on a fractured
family from New Jersey called the Jordans who
on the surface seem to be cut from mainstream,
middle-class America. As we get to know this
multi-generational family, we are introduced to
their despair, frustrations and inner demons. The
film was awarded the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1998
Cannes Film Festival for "its bold tracking of
controversial contemporary themes, richly-layered
subtext, and remarkable fluidity of visual style".
(35mm. 134 min. Rated NC-17.)
Todd Solondz challenges us to look beyond our preju-
dices and give his unhappy, desperate, middle-class
characters a dose of empathy, whether they appear
to deserve it or not. With each of his films, he tests
us - can we connect emotionally with people whom
we might not care to? In doing so, he uncovers humor
in the unlikeliest of places bringing his audiences
along to emotional vistas that they would not wander
to on their own. Todd Solondz's visit is made possible
by a generous contribution from Steven (Jim) and
Roberta Sherman. Todd Solondz is scheduled to be in
attendance at these noted events. l
Jorgensen
Lecture
with Todd
Solondz
Friday
November 30
3:00 p.m.
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Tickets: (812) 855-1103
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