Dorothy Mills

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

Sorry to disagree with some remarks of this movie being slow(?). I liked the pace of it and it gave you time to really understand the different characters and their secrets and lies. it added much needed depth to the story, something that is lacking in many Hollywood films.

I found that the film was always interesting, mysterious and in some scenes quite chilling. It is, by far one of the most refreshing films of the year. The acting was superb.

Another criticism that I found was uncalled for was the nit picking about the Dutch actress Carise's accent. Did you not notice her character's surname it's actually Dutch (Doh!)she is meant to have lived in Ireland for a while and therefore picked up the Irish accent I live in Glasgow,Scotland and in my city there are hundreds that have come to work in here from various cities of Europe and other parts of the world and there is one I know who is a German psychiatrist who has picked up a slight accent from staying here for a few years.

If you want to nit pick what about big Terminator Arnie's accent - it never changed in all his movies, how do you explain a German accented robot from the future?... Given that Carise's first language is Dutch I really admired that she managed to get the accent at all.

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.

In Ireland, the psychiatrist Jane Morton (Carice van Houten) is assigned to give a psychological assessment to the disturbed teenager Dorothy Mills (Jenn Murray) that tried to strangle a baby while babysitting him. After leaving the island ferry, an orange car with three teenagers causes an accident with Jane's car that falls in the sea and miraculously survives. She finds a hostile environment in the island with the unsettled dwellers that seems to be nervous with her presence. Jane seeks out Dorothy in the house of her Aunt Eileen MacMahon that is raising the girl and after a couple of interviews, she discovers that Dorothy has multiple personality disorder, impersonating the three year-old Mimi; and the teenagers Mary, Kurt and Duncan. When Dorothy embodies David, the young son of Jane that drowned in a tragic accident, the grieving psychiatrist also finds that the backward locals are fanatic religious believers and something dark lives in the island.

"Dorothy Mills" is a little gem of the supernatural genre to be discovered by movie lovers that follows the same style of the underrated "Haunted" and "The Innocents" with an engaging and ambiguous ghost story. The debut of Jenn Murray is spectacular and this young unknown actress is stunning performing different characters with her multiple personality disorder. It is impossible to guess her real age and in some moments she looks like an innocent girl and in the other an easy young woman. The point that I liked most is the ambiguity of the dramatic and mysterious plot, where a mourning psychiatrist (therefore with emotional problems) evaluates a disturbed girl in a dysfunctional society. Therefore the truth of the events in the island is never one hundred percent clear since it is narrated by a maladjusted character and consequently open to interpretation. My only remark is the underrated IMDb User Rating (6.0/10 with 1371 votes) since this film truly deserves a better rating. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Os Demônios de Dorothy Mills" ("The Demons of 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...