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| Welcome to the Dollhouse poster |
One of the films I recommended was Welcome to the Dollhouse, an eye-opening film remarking on bullying and abuse. I've interpreted the film quite differently over the years. It's a classic fave of mine and I detail how I now view the film. First, here's a brief summary:
I had never seen a movie like it before, and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. As I summarized above, the film follows Dawn Wiener (Heather Matarazzo), the middle child of the Wiener family, living in suburban New Jersey. We are first introduced to her by a firsthand viewing of her distressing school life. We see her school locker, out of many, the only one in the halls graffiti-laden. Very early we can presume her school life is crappy. But home isn't any better.
This dark comedy [...] was one of the many great indie films of the ’90s. This film is probably the most memorable indie film I enjoyed as a pre-teen. While some of the dialogue in this film may be deemed disturbing, especially given the age I saw it, I was rather intrigued than terrified. I was also very sympathetic to the main character, Dawn. The film vividly shows some of the most cruel bullying that takes place in American schools, and how that affected Dawn in school and at home. Dawn’s awkwardness is something many of us could relate to growing up, and you may even see yourself through the relentless verbal and physical abuse she faces. As the reality of her miserable life ensues throughout the film, one of her tormentors, who is a troubled boy, makes way into her life. The troubled kid somehow gives her a different outlook and takes a romantic interest in her, even as she crushes on Steve, an older guy friend she wishes to run away with. The film also proficiently tackles the bullying that can take place in the home from the parents. I’ve seen this film plenty of times, but the ending always leaves me with the same sunken feeling. The undefined conclusion is a clear reminder of where Dawn’s life is headed. You will probably laugh and be ashamed of it after watching this film, but you should see it just for the way Welcome to the Dollhouse deals with very serious situations, like rape, bullying, underage fantasies, sibling rivalry, and parental favoritism all through the eyes of an outcasted, suburban kid.
(***Spoilers Below***)
If there ever was a film that showed middle child woes, it was this. Dawn has an older brother Mark, and a younger sister Missy. Her sister is the family favorite, and Mark is the geeky, musician nerd that his parents respect, but put pressure on. Dawn is shown absolutely no love and rarely gets any positive attention. You may find yourself disliking her mother quite early—she is the cruelest adult in Dawn's life. In a nail-biting scene, she forces Dawn to stay up all night for not agreeing to a chore. But in fact, none of the adults in her life show any compassion towards her, and some of her mentors contribute to the torment she deals with. We get a glimpse of how invasive and humiliating her bullying is, when she is forced to do an extremely personal act in the presence of one of her bullies.
Half way into the film we see that Dawn has a tormenting life at home and school, and no one to truly confide in, but her one friend Ralphy, who she mistreats. Her only escape is a backyard clubhouse where she keeps a shrine for one of her crushes—Steve Rodgers, a friend of Mark. Steve is the prototypical 70s hippie trapped in the 90s. He's good looking, smooth, a great singer, and has the independence and confidence that Dawn seeks. She's fascinated with everything he says and does. Her obsession with him hopes that he will fall in love and run away with her. He's her White Knight.
Despite all that Dawn faces, she's still a tough kid. She gives the viewers hope that her situation will get better. She stands up for herself against a few times, even bruising the ego of Brandon—one of her bullies. In the most disturbing scene, he threatens Dawn with rape after school where she goes to meet him. When I first watched this film, I couldn't make sense as to why she agreed to actually meet him, but I now realize this was one of the stages of abuse.
Brandon actually turns out to be fond of Dawn and doesn't harm her in any form. But he's a troubled kid dealing with similar abuse in the home. The two find solace and comfort in each other and begin dating. This battered boy nevertheless, is bluntly honest and straightforward— he encourages Dawn towards independence. To Dawn, he epitomizes strength. However, their differences soon sink in. Dawn gets a firsthand perspective of Brandon's life when she unexpectedly visits his home. It's there she notices they are not as similar as they thought, and any fairy tale they imagined together was just a fantasy. Dawn matures greatly as the film progresses, and at some point she defies Brandon's persuasiveness in search of her own identity.
Dawn begins viewing her family in a different light. Brandon's home life showed her that someone else had it harder than her, and we see that she starts to appreciate her horrible family a bit more, but to no reciprocating avail. Near the ending of the film, we see how far Dawn takes her new frame of mind. She risks her well-being to save her sister from a life-threatening situation, and her family's response is anything more than what she already expected. It's heartbreaking.
The film ends with Dawn enroute on a choir trip, at what it seems, back to square one but with a bit of faith. Though, who knew it would take another abused, and troubled kid to help her appreciate her life, and a family unworthy of her yearning.
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Admittedly I was amused when I first saw this film. It is a comedy film after all, but there are some harsh things said that are very triggering and serious. I immediately sympathized with Dawn, but I found myself annoyed with some of her decisions. She did not bring the bullying on herself because she had no control over the teasing (ex: Wiener surname), but she certainly internalized it; her treatment of her sole friend Ralphy indicates that. She had a bit of her own anger issues, which almost reaches a fatal breaking point.
When Brandon redeemed his character in the oddest of ways, he wanted to run away with her. This seemed like an opportunity Dawn could take, but she rejected his offer. This is one of the best decisions she makes in the film. I think deep down she knew a life with Brandon would not last, even though she hated hers. Brandon exhibited lots of anger and jealousy issues in their short relationship, and Dawn knew that she still enjoyed a life of privilege compared to Brandon. His blues were not like hers.
Another problematic issue the film tackles is parental favoritism. Besides her brother Mark, there is no one in her family that considers her important or worthy of respect. Her parents only have eyes for Missy, and while Mark is not favored much, he's smart which makes him beneficial. Dawn is just an extra family member to them—it reflects in her self-esteem and how she views herself. She knows her life doesn't matter. Even her younger sister uses the favoring to her advantage to further subjugate Dawn. This is the sole reason for Dawn's resentment towards Missy.
It's a great film. Welcome to the Dollhouse is sort of a PSA on the bullying we don't typically see or hear about and how brutal it can be. You may not have experienced the type of bullying Dawn went through, but you can probably relate to her frustrations. Dawn's character is brave and undaunted even in all her flaws.
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