What a Doll
Main Cast: Debbie Doebereiner, Dustin James Ashley, Misty Wilkins, Decker Moody
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Plot Summary: In a Midwestern town, life is slow and the people are poor. Two friends work in a doll factory, and with the addition of a new hire, everything changes.
I enjoy watching indie movies every now and again. If you search Movie Help Web, you’ll find this out (and one of my fave sci-fi flicks is the tiny Wicksboro Incident). Expectations must be set differently for most of these small films than for the big mega-blockbuster event movies. The time, money, and stars are simply not available.
That’s not to say that good things can’t be done. Stories are premium currency in this medium, all other things being not equal. For the average moviegoer that story must grab hold and distract them from the lack of stars, locations, and special effects. Which leads me to Bubble. Sadly, while I did appreciate what the writer and director was attempting to do, I don’t think it’s enough to keep your attention.
The story: we follow the life of a pleasant woman working in a doll factory in a very small town. She is friends with a young man (although not as close as she would like), and when the factory receives a large shipment, a new employee is hired. The newcomer is an attractive young woman, and, well, human nature rules what happens next.
I can appreciate the daily ebb and flow of life here. It’s a quiet existence, much more real than anything shown on the silver screen. The young man and women go out to a bar for a few drinks, head back to his room, and part. The same night. No sex, not even a kiss. How likely is that in your big-budget romance?
Something does happen, of course, which could loosely be described as the plot. But I think what the writer and director are trying to do is set up moods, not plots. In that he succeeds, more or less: but it’s all so slight and, ultimately, not worth the time. There are other, worthier indie movies out there. I suggest you find them.
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