Search

» » Dorothy (2007)

Short summary

The Roadside Motel is Dorothy's whole world. It is both her haven and her prison, a whiskey-yellow fantasy where nothing changes and everything is familiar. Her job as a cleaner allows her unlimited assess to the lives of the guests. She steals pieces of the outside world from them, creating a window of escape out of the broken, used and discarded objects that get left behind. A flash of red, a pair of wonderful stilettos, has the power to change everything. Marie has come to the Roadside motel. Dorothy is a story about two women struggling to between different stages of their lives. It is a quiet film, visually sensual, that explores the hard edge of fantasy and womanhood and the inevitability of change.

During the filming of the office scenes, the wind was so bad that it blew one of the doors off.

The Red Castle Motel, where 'Dorothy' was shot, also appeared in the 2004 film, 'Thunderstruck', directed by Darren Ashton.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Gorisar
    Not to sound like too much of a prating, garrulous fan, but "Dorothy" is an exceptional, accomplished and sensitive piece of film-making. Jasmine Adams and Josh Benn have collaborated to produce a distinctive visual style that beautifully frames the isolation and awkwardness of the souls dwelling within the Roadside Motel.

    It's incredibly lazy of me to make comparisons to David Lynch when talking about "Dorothy", but I think I can justify the analogy with this statement: David Lynch makes films about deaf people on drugs, stylised paeans to miscommunication punctuated by a mostly immobile camera. "Dorothy" contains no deaf people, no midgets, no Kyle McLachlan and no weirdness for the sake of weirdness, rather, it is a lush, uncomfortable, amusing and heartfelt trip to a place and person isolated from everywhere else. Plus, it's beautifully shot. It's what David Lynch should be doing, instead of, well, whatever it is he does now.

    The film's tone is at once engaging, sinister and rich. You will visit an environment that could sustain a feature film. This is a breathtaking piece of work.
  • comment
    • Author: Jack
    Coming out of Curtin University, this student film is excellently constructed and produced. A compelling story and characters, this short was nominated for an award that pitted it against professional shorts made by crews with years more experience, but held its own.

    Set in a motel, the story follows a young girl, Dorothy, as she leaves the shadows and steps out on her own with the help of another glamorous young woman, Marie, whose life holds only tragedy and burns too bright to end in anything but. Dorothy, a maid who lives through the objects that others discard and leave behind, begins to use Marie as an example of living her own life. Or is it more a case of assuming an identity?
  • comment
    • Author: Stan
    Great use of colour to create a surreal atmosphere. love the visual aspect of this film brining the plot and characters together beautifully.

    Dorothy is a lonely girl stealing bits of other peoples lives to fill the void in her own. She comes across a little creepy, which is sort of what you would expect from someone gathering bits of other peoples lives to fill their own... Creepy but not evil...

    Rico is a "cool dude" from the past, old band posters on the walls (and the neon pink flamingo) are testaments to this.

    Marie is probably the most complex character there. And the one that sets change in motion.
  • Credited cast:
    Daniel Gilett Daniel Gilett - Pete
    Tilly Ozsdolay Tilly Ozsdolay - Rico
    Whitney Richards Whitney Richards - Dorothy
    Summer Williams Summer Williams - Marie
    All rights reserved © 2017-2024 hd.thomson-multimedia.com