2007 Sundance Darling? Hounddog

By Addison Donnell, Los Angeles

Most people say that the first sentence of something has to stand out and make you want to continue reading. So, disregarding that last sentence explaining this one…Dakota Fanning was raped.

Do I have you? Great. Since I’m a working stiff a year or so out of college, like the rest of you, I find it hard to see movies in the theaters as often as I would like. I mean, it is 13 dollars to go to theater at night, not to mention the 4 dollars you have to spend on Starbucks you strategically sneak in the theater via your over sized purse and 3 dollars or so for parking. So, for all your math wizards out there, that is an even 20 dollars for a good time at the theaters. That is 2 hours of me making copies or delivering coffee at work. My solution? Netflix. 5 dollars a month + unlimited movies = pure genius.

So, in vain of my poverty and the current top five films being mostly garbage, I decided to go indie this week. During Sundance in 2007, a little film called Hounddog was the talk of the festival. Not because of a great director (no name) or stellar cast (most should probably retire), but because an eleven-year-old girl is shown being raped. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a controversial indie as much as the next girl and Dakota Fanning was phenomenal, but this movie made me sad to be from the South.

It was filled with all the favorite Southern clichés. The alcoholic father? Check. Overly-religious grandmother? You betcha. Runaway mom? No doubt about it. Oh, you thought I forgot the black guy who lives in the barn playing with horses and rattlesnakes? Don’t worry, he’s there, too. This film about a little girl (Fanning, clearly) who tries to escape her abusive life through Elvis’ music, is so far up it’s own ass, it couldn’t see straight. To be honest, the whole message was lost in the mediocre acting by the adults in the film, distracting banjo strumming, and the constant game of “guess who the rapist is”.

I wanted to like it, I really did, but I have never been so lost in a film without a plot. I damn near needed a map. Also, I am pretty sure Dakota Fanning’s mom made her do this movie as a publicity stunt while she struggled through her awkward stage.

Bottom line: Not worth your time, unless you want to see hear the song Hounddog 500 times or see the girl from The Orphan before she got all creepy and orphany.