Palindromes (2004)

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Avg Rating: 4.2 / 5. Voted: 72

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AKA:
Directed by: Todd Solondz
Starring: Shayna Levine (Aviva), Sharon Wilkins (‘Mama Sunshine’ Aviva), Jennifer Jason Leigh (‘Mark’ Aviva), Will Denton (‘Huckleberry’ Aviva), Hannah Freiman (‘Henry’ Aviva), Ellen Barkin (Mom), Matthew Faber (Mark)
Country: United States
Language: English (English subs)
Runtime: 01:40:03
Genres: Teensploitation, Misery, Family, Old-Young, Religion

Plot – Spoilers:
Palindromes is sort of related to Welcome to the Dollhouse in that, some of the characters from it appear and are referenced here. Also, Aviva in Palindromes is a cousin of the Wiener kids.

Aviva is a depressed teen who walks around with headphones playing self-esteem lectures. Her mother is emotionally unstable while also wanting the best for her, which makes it hard for Aviva to fight her. The only things Aviva likes about life involve babies and she can’t wait to get one. So when she visits a family friend, she gets into bed with a boy there just to get pregnant. From here, things go further downhill as Aviva finds the little joys that were left being systematically sucked away.

Aviva is played by different actors who physically vary in colour, race, size and even gender. This makes every sequential experience that Aviva goes through, unique and jarring.

Random Thoughts
Why have different actors been used in Palindromes to play the one character of Aviva? The answer probably lies in the little talk Aviva has with Mark towards the end where he tells her that people don’t essentially change. So though you might be different people at different points in your life, they keep interchanging and returning. Also right at the end when Aviva says she has a feeling this time she’s “gonna be a mom”, the version of Aviva that says this is the one we started off with.

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RimbaudIncarnate
RimbaudIncarnate
November 2, 2024 3:23 pm

Can’t get past the sections where she’s portrayed by a fat black woman. Man, what a god-awful directing decision.

fred fat
fred fat
August 25, 2024 2:09 pm

i watched this the wrong way round

dolly
dolly
July 5, 2024 4:07 am

this is one of my favorite movies ever
the most poignant part of it obviously being the interchanging actors of Aviva, and i think it really reflects that you become different across your life time but at some points you return to who you were before, before you change into someone new again, if that makes sense. i love Todd Solondz direction of making Aviva vary in almost every way, really showing that anyone can be Aviva.
this movie really encapsulates the essence of a teenage girl, of course not everyone strives to become a mother especially at such a young age but it shows Aviva’s journey of searching for her purpose in the confusing transitional years of pre-teen to teen.

Bukowski
Bukowski
December 9, 2023 2:18 pm

I fucking love Todd Solondz movies.

The strange casting changes hits very different in 2023.

Could Solondz be mocking the diversity nonsense as early as 2004?

He certainly mocked libshits in his film Storytelling.

Is that movie on here?

Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes
July 18, 2023 9:16 pm

I can’t think of another movie with such a nuanced message on abortion, bravo Todd!

Kiki
Kiki
June 25, 2023 12:04 am

Another dumb ass movie everytime I go off the comments I end up disappointed

Creepy Hollow
Creepy Hollow
September 30, 2022 4:12 pm

Not as good as “Happiness” or “Dollhouse”, but those were pretty hard to match.

Wilhelm Nietzsche
Wilhelm Nietzsche
June 14, 2022 5:33 am

These are Diary Of A Wimpy Kid… On Crack

thepunisher23
thepunisher23
February 12, 2022 11:15 am

Mama Sunshine house was super creepy. The only thing that would make this movie wierder would be some facials 😛

voidchan
voidchan
January 29, 2022 10:40 pm

ts crazy

Katie Wonder
Katie Wonder
December 30, 2021 4:22 pm

As the one who always loves and watched “Welcome to the Dollhouse” multiple times, the first 5 minute of this movie is heart-breaking to me.

amphetaqueen
amphetaqueen
September 4, 2021 5:14 am

At the beginning of the “Henry” scene (11:37) homegirl def has a likely unscripted creepy crawler skittering through her hair and down her back… how has no one else noticed this?

???????
???????
August 31, 2021 12:06 am

OY VEY WIENER DOG

Jhgjv
Jhgjv
August 10, 2021 9:33 pm

Kids are gross and make life harder and way more complicated i’ll Have freedom and money instead thank you very much.

Angela
Angela
June 16, 2021 5:24 am

What a great movie! Totally a ride, I dare to say that it’s almost as good as Happiness. But I really wanted to know more about the sunshine’s kids.

chu
chu
April 10, 2021 6:26 pm

amazing film, the acting definitely wasn’t as good as happiness but I loved this one just as much

Matisse Famke
Matisse Famke
March 18, 2021 3:37 am

An aberrant discord that flagellates your cognizance.

Pamela
Pamela
August 4, 2020 12:22 am

This movie did my head in. Felt like I was tripping on acid. LOL but enjoyed it all the same even if it is weird as hell.

RedArmageddon
RedArmageddon
June 29, 2020 1:37 pm

OH MY GOTT, this movie !!
It’s very unique and bizzaro, but still likable, the characters are okay and there are some great scenes (ex : Mama Sunshine’s house segment, love it).
Sure, the change of actors for Aviva is confusing, but you’ll get a hang of it ;^P
The only character I liked is Mark (from “Welcome to the Dollhouse”), but yeah, still a neat little movie, will definitely watch again !!
If you like movies like Happiness (1998), I STRONGLY recommend !! >:^]