Who’s in it: Ellen Barkin, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Will Denton, Debra Monk, Shayna Levine, Stephen Adly Guirgis
What it’s about: The main character in director Todd Solondz’s (“Welcome to the Dollhouse”) dark comedy is a girl named Aviva, who is played by seven different actresses and one actor. The film follows Aviva from age 6 on as she stumbles through a series of disturbing vignettes, including becoming pregnant at age 13 and running away from her mother, who wants her to have an abortion.
Worth watching? (star)(star) 1/2
“When I saw ‘Palindromes’ at the Toronto Film Festival last year, I didn’t like it much, but it stuck in my mind, took on a life of its own. I still don’t like it much, but I respect it–because it’s the kind of film most American filmmakers won’t make, bristling with the kind of issues and questions they hesitate to face.”