Dorothy Mills

An interesting film that explores the problems of small, closed communities - particularly those that rely heavily on religious leadership. The problematic nature of faith and ethics is a strong thread to the story, as the Church is unable or unwilling (through the role of the Parish priest) to support any sense of justice. The only message is: don't get caught and if you do cover it up as best you can...

The story line is fantastical but that is intended so shouldn't be seen as a weakness. What it does explore is the intuitive sense of rightness that young people can retain even in a community that is essentially rotten.

There are twists that are obvious but yet still manage to shock, especially the way in which key characters lose your sympathy as the plot unfolds.

I enjoyed the acting, and the actress who plays Dorothy manages to be both creepy and endearing. She reflects the brooding threat that the island conveys, in the scenery as well as through the behaviour of the population. You really empathise with the psychiatrist sent to assess Dorothy, at least I did. Her hesitancy to stay but desire to help is palpable.

I would recommend it if you liked Orphan or American Gothic...

Overall not a terrible film, but not worthy of the high ratings some gave it. Carice van Houten acting was horrid to say the least and why did they cast her in the role with that Dutch accent is beyond me, the actress that acted Dorothy's role was way better. I gave the story a 6 but the overall score was dragged down by the flat as a Dutch pancake acting performance from Carice van Houten, and that's coming from me that was born in Holland.

5 out of 10

a solid and fresh story with great actings especially the 2 main leads.

2 surprising twists, one around the middle when you realize what is happening to dorothy and one in the end which explains it all, what makes it great is you do not see this coming, well at least i didn't.

remember that crappy movie with nicolas cage about a crazed community on an island ? well this is not at all like that altho i thought it would be when i read the synopsis.

so if you think you know the story because it involves a closed community living on an island with the main lead being an outsider, think again.

there are many crappy movie in the genre, this is not one of them.

as a bonus the psychiatrist is very easy on the eye ;)

It bothers me when movies are mis-marketed. I understand why they do it but it's misleading and annoying. Many movies that don't quite fit a genre are shoehorned into one.

As was the case with 'The Hole', 'Dorothy Mills' is more of a psychological thriller marketed as pure horror. The quote on the cover, "A contemporary take on the Exorcist", the tag line 'Evil chose her" and the typical horror imagery would have one renting this with hopes of hiding behind a cushion from a pea soup vomiting demon. Probably achieves more rentals/purchases but it also inevitably disappoints many, but not in my case.

In reality this is not really about 'evil'. It's a chilling and intriguing tale that deals with the multiple personalities of a girl called Dorothy Mills and/or the dead speaking through her. Set in Ireland, Dublin based psychiatrist Jane Van Dopp travels to a small island where the troubled girl lives. Whilst working on the case she begins to suspect the multiple personalities are more than just figments of Dorothy's imagination.

It's not entirely original but a very interesting plot regardless. The strongest aspect of the movie is Dorothy's various characters: the transformations being startling! Furthermore,Jenn Murray, the actress who plays them, is absolutely brilliant and it's difficult to believe this is her first role.

I feel this movie is deserving of some decent exposure; I'm just not sure misleading marketing is the right way to go about it.

Although writer/director Agnès Merlet resorted to too many clichés at times, Dorothy Mills does deserve credit for not taking the Hollywood road of botching the conclusion with special effects or nonsensical action scenes.

The movie has a solid pacing and takes the time to acclimate us with its characters. Unfortunately, most of them are terribly uninteresting and look like they were inspired by similar movies.

There are two glowing exceptions: psychiatrist Jane Van Dopp and our title character: the young and troubled Dorthy Mills. Dutch actress Carice Van Houten (The Black Book, Valkyrie) has a lot of presence on screen and manages to showcase all the emotions the doctor goes through, without overacting. The script still doesn't really do the actress justice but she does relatively well, despite not being completely at ease with English.

Without a doubt the most pleasant surprise of the whole movie will be the performance of newcomer Jenn Murray as Dorothy. Knowing that this movie was small budget and comparing her performance with the rest of the cast, one can only be amazed by her raw talent and presence. The role of Dorothy is incredibly challenging and it would have been easy for the movie to become unintentionally funny had the actress playing Dorothy been only average. But on the contrary, Jenn Murray elevates the movie by at least a point or two.

The story is slightly conventional. A nice twist at the end has a good effect to it but feels kind of forced. Some dramatic scenes barely work. More than anything else, the plot is almost ruined by not letting Dorothy be the sole vehicle of the strange happenings on the island.

But this is still a cool mystery movie with an awesome performance by Murray, whom I look forward to seeing in many more films.