Dottie Gets Spanked

I'm into movie watching for the so-called "long form." That's where you are transported to another world, something happens which may change your life and then (sometimes) you are registered back home.

Many, many elements of this enterprise are difficult, and few films do the trick. The "short form" is where some element of the larger goal is attempted. Usually it is the introduction to another world, and some people are satisfied with merely being transported (because most people don't wanted to be changed anyway).

Todd Haynes is something of a master at this. It is all he does, even in his full-length movies, which is a bit disappointing, but the upcoming Dylan project looks like he is trying to play with the big boys.

This is his best so far, in part because it is so carefully constructed. Entry into other worlds usually depends on folding abstractions. The fold in this case is Steve's reality folded into a TeeVee show (which also contains his dreams) which is folded into the reality behind the show. All these collapse into a multidimensional spanking fantasy that gets put away to haunt him as an adult.

The characters and such are well done, but it is the folding that makes this thing work.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Todd haynes writes and directs this thirty minute short film. Steven, a young boy, watches the dottie show each day, and seems extra obsessed with watching her get spanked. It seems steven doesn't really understand why he enjoys it, and his parents sure as heck don't understand. And they aren't sure how to handle it. Steven is quite lonely, and only his mother understands him... she seems to be his only friend. Kind of a cult film. Or maybe a coming of age story for a little boy. I wish it had been longer; maybe more things would have been explained. Although i'm sure many of us felt the same loneliness and shame that steven appears to feel. Without knowing why. I had seen many of haynes' other full length films; he wrote and directed some biggies! Good stuff! I look forward to seeing more from him. This one currently showing on kanopy streaming.

DOTTIE GETS SPANKED accomplishes in 30 minutes what most movies can't do in 2 hrs. It's a transforming experience. Somehow, without pretension, clutter or unnecessary detail, the filmmakers manage to convey the soon-to-be queer identity of a child in all its complexity.

Yet the film always feels straightforward, simple, and emotional. Very few films make you cry without making you feel like a dupe, but DOTTIE GETS SPANKED can, and doesn't insult your intelligence either. This is a major film. Bravo!

A resonant stroke of illumination brought to us in living color by none other, none more informed, than the gifted Todd Haynes. This Ma Vie en Rouge predates the French ROSE by five years and comes in at less than a third of the running time.

Haynes' is a lingering soul kiss, darker, individualistic, willful and startlingly relevant. Viva Sissy Power!

This is a wonderful movie which takes the viewer back to the shame of those first childhood sexual fantasies that cannot be shared with anyone.

Steven Gale,like many young boys, is fascinated by the complex world of the women around him. He watches them,listens to them, and draws them endlessly. The film has him fixated on a Lucille-Ball-like TV star, but the undertones are deeply psychological as they track this young boy's attempt to understand why some things are branded "normal" and some things are quite definitely NOT.

The writing and casting are superb. Watch this film several times to appreciate the meticulous sets and costuming!