Dolls Review

27 March 2009

A road trip frames this beautifully captured 'path of discovery' film of four young people united by the pursuit of freedom, friendship and sexual curiosity. Three girls on the cusp of womanhood (Iska, Vendula and Karolina), and the wide-eyed younger brother of Iska (Votja), attempt to take the world head on as they hitchhike to Holland encountering temptation, repulsion and the downright funny along the way. The timeless theme of the struggle of adolescence is skillfully directed by Karen Babinska who reminds us of the giddy excitement, brutal reality and often cringe-worthy moments of our early sexual experiences.

Karolina, dark haired porcelain skinned, is the cherry-chap stick wearing girl who kiss and tells her journey in her ‘log book of conquests’. Iska is suspended in the quintessential discomfort of teenage angst on the threshold of a brave new world. Whilst Vendula, uncomfortable in her plump teenage curves, finds less delight in discovering the physical but instead has an urgency to start the free-fall adventure which is the coming of age. A heady mix of alcohol fuelled arguments and the rough and tumble of teenage sex sees the three girls accompanied by the young Votja who acts as our reminder that a thin line exists between the indifference of youth and the aching excitement of the beginnings of adulthood.

The film is a beautiful piece to watch without having needed to glamorize the characters or their experiences. With laugh-out-loud moments and many recognizable flashes of the familiar roads of self-discovery we have all travelled (or are travelling!) this film does not disappoint; and it may even provide a little catharsis to our own tear jerking, heart stopping, mind boggling coming of age stories.

Rebecca A Fielding