This “Limited Edition” 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo set from Radiance Films will be available for purchase on June 24th, 2025 (a standalone Blu-ray edition is also available).
For a couple of years now, Radiance Films has been delivering impressive international fare on Blu-ray to film fans, with upgraded transfers and enlightening bonus material. Now, they have dipped their toes into 4K Ultra HD with their latest release. Palindromes is a provocative and noteworthy title from writer/director Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness, Life During Wartime) and the distributor is presenting it in both a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo pack, as well as a standalone Blu-ray.
While I have seen many of the filmmaker’s works, this was an effort that slipped through the cracks. As such, it was fascinating to catch up with the movie. It’s a remarkably strong effort that, like the filmmaker’s other work, will stir viewers and prompt many reactions. The film is designed to directly address and confront issues in American society that are often overlooked and ignored in typical narratives. This reviewer was impressed and is happy to see Palindromes getting more attention with this release.
If you have seen Welcome to the Dollhouse, you’ll remember that the main, tormented character was Dawn Weaver. This story follows her 13-year-old cousin, Aviva (played by eight different performers of different ages, races and genders, including Shayna Levine, Sharon Wilkins and Jennifer Jason Leigh). In a series of vignettes, we learn that the protagonist isn’t living an ideal life and feels like something of an outcast. All she wants is to have a child, and essentially create someone to love. Family friend and less-than-charming teen Judah (Robert Agri) agrees to have sex with Aviva, and surprisingly, she does get pregnant. Her mother (Ellen Barkin) and father (Richard Masur) are horrified and ultimately convince her against her wishes to have an abortion. It doesn’t go smoothly and she loses the ability to have kids, although no one actually tells her about the unintended complications of the procedure.
As her relationship with immediate family members deteriorates, she runs away, hoping to get pregnant once again. She ends up sleeping with truck driver Bob (Stephen Adly Guirgis), who quickly leaves her behind at a motel. Aviva then thinks she’s found a new life with the Sunshine Family, a Christian fundamentalist foster home. She makes friends with other kids staying there, but it soon becomes clear that the adults hide a horrible secret and that they are manipulating her. They have connections to the truck driver, and after him with a violent assignment, ends up being hunted by police. As the story comes to a close, Aviva reunites with several characters, still believing that she will once again get pregnant and be a mother.
Story elements are incredibly grim and distressing. The world is an ugly place, but there is dark humor interspersed into the proceedings to keep us invested and guessing where the story will progress. The technique of using so many different performers in one role is an interesting one and more effective than initially anticipated. Aviva goes down some strange and horrid paths, which might be a slog with one performer enduring the nastiness of all these situations. Instead, we see various actors embody different qualities of the character. Some are even chipper, which serves as a fascinating contrast to the world around them. In the process, you’ll see a child talk about pregnancy, and an adult woman share her innocent and perhaps naive thoughts with those around her. After the first couple of transitions, it isn’t distracting and allows different themes and ideas in each segment to come to the forefront.
The time spent at the Sunshine Family is particularly interesting and filled with subtext. There are some oddly funny exclamations (“Jesus tears!”) and the indoctrinated foster kids. Some of them are disabled, and perform in a singing group. None know that their beloved guardians are, behind closed doors, doing the opposite of what they preach. The young performers are talented, yet the routine is so excessively upbeat that it humorously emphasizes how their guardians are using them to rope in more followers and lead everyone down an ugly path. The scary part about this is that it’s generally accurate, and that many real groups use these kinds of approaches. Grimly funny and chilling at the same time, it’s even more relevant today than it was 20 years ago.
After taking viewers down various strange and uncomfortable backroads, we see Aviva continuing forward in trying to fulfil a dream that is unlikely to occur. The movie and its characters are never afraid to deal with complicated and unsettling issues in a straight-forward and provocative manner. I was completely engrossed in the film and greatly impressed overall.
For this release, the movie was restored by The Museum of Modern Art and approved by Todd Solondz. Admittedly, given the unpleasantness being depicted, the image isn’t reference quality material. It’s a grainy film and that natural element is clearly visible both in 4K and the accompanying Blu-ray. But one imagines it does look better than previous versions, containing more background details in exteriors and more expression on the cast’s faces. One section that does look noticeably sharp is Aviva’s brief trip into an affluent suburban neighborhood, showing off a much wealthier area. This serves the film well, especially after the lead has been in dirtier, grainier areas for much of the running time. Those going in shouldn’t expect jaw-dropping clarity, as that really wouldn’t suit the tone anyway.
There are some wonderful bonus features as well. My favorite is a video chat with Solondz. He details his inspirations, as well as working on the film and, as best as he can remember, his experiences on set. He notes how many of his movies feature the same characters, and sees his films as presenting almost alternate timelines for them. On occasion, one of them will be dead in a story, only to be seen alive and living a different life in another title. He’s familiar with this world and these characters, and enjoys seeing them react to different scenarios. It’s an insightful and informative discussion.
There is also a great audio interview with Alexander Brickel, who plays a little bespectacled boy who befriends Aviva at the Sunshine Family. The cast member talks about what a positive time he had on the set and working with the cast from this section of the picture. The speaker notes that the youngsters all were committed to their part in the story and he also notes some of the messages he has taken away from the film.
There is also a video essay called Todd Solondz and His Cinema of Cruelty, which goes over some of the themes and dark subject matter explored in his titles. There are definitely some good points, although I don’t necessarily agree with all of them.
A trailer is also included, as well as a reversible sleeve with designs based on original posters, and a booklet featuring an essay on the film, and bits of the press book. Most important of all is an interview and statement on the film from Solondz.
Palindromes is a title that stays with you long after the credits roll. As a parent myself, it paints a darkly grim yet relatable and satirical portrait of a naive teen enduring disturbing life situations, and the upsetting, often contradictory actions taken by the guardians in her life. The story elements are as cutting, uncomfortable and, in some respects, relatable as ever. While the image is grainy, this is still the best presentation the film has ever received and the extras are also recommended. Those familiar with the filmmaker’s work should definitely add it to their collection.