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BABY DOLL
Produced, Directed, Edited, and Videotaped by Lance Reha
Written by Thomas F. BraggCasey/Valerie - Rosemary Gore
James Gilbert - Thomas Bragg
The Victim - Victor Moreyra
Shannon - Tobi-Lyn Byers
Father - Chris PascaleCasey is off her rocker. In her mid-30's, she has the mentality of a child, and when she gets into her mother's make-up, she does herself up to look like one of her dollies. I can't think of a single sane person that does that, can you? What about one who ties men to her bed and stabs them repeatedly with safety scissors? Didn't think so, either. That's kind of like the number 2 all-time nutcase trump card (#1 being poo flinging).
Casey is played by Rosemary Gore, an actress and model you may have noticed in a few commercials or no-budget independent features. She first came to my attention in FEAR OF THE DARK, and I initially thought her name was fictitious. It sounds like something a wanna-be scream queen would make up. Turns out she's related to Al, as in Mr. Former Vice President. Rosemary has this Andie McDowel-look about her, and even a similar-sounding speech pattern that's just a tad more sultry.
Rosemary plays Casey like a six year old whose body grew up but her mind didn't, or at least that's how she plays the dark aspect of Casey's personality. By day, Casey is a cynical thirty-something burned by too much bad love. Sexual arousal seems to bring about dark Casey, who lost her parents in a childhood accident. It's strongly implied, but never stated specifically, that she might have been the victim of sexual abuse. Guilt, rage, and sexual confusion cause Casey to snap and kill her partners once things get hot and heavy. Her current victim even allows her to tie him to the bedposts because he thought she wanted to get kinky. The sexual needs and allure of a grown woman combined with the trauma of a child-rape unleash all her years of pent up rage.
While Gore masterfully conveys the frustration and confusion of the childlike Casey, she annoyingly stresses multiple syllables of her words in that way that only grown-ups trying to talk to children "on their level" - "dirty" becomes "dur-tee". It's an acting choice I don't agree with, especially when the little girl voice would have worked by itself. Less is always more.
When we meet the current unnamed victim, he's bound with Casey's jumprope and gagged with duct tape. Beaten and bloody, all he wants to do is to pound Casey to a pulp. We don't blame him, she is, after all, one bitchy little nutcase who would just as soon smack you with a toy car as give you a hug.
When we first meet Casey's she's been locked up for murder. We're led to believe that it's for the lastest victim, but that's not the case. Casey reveals her story to a reporter in such a way that distorts events to her completely biased viewpoint. Director Lance Reha uses this to his advantage to provide BABYDOLL with a nice twist that allows the movie to reveal reality as something completely malleable. What we see may or may not be, and if it is true, it might not be real. Unlike other short films that rely on their twist endings, this one doesn't feel forced. It adds a layer of complexity that allows viewers to rewatch the events from a completely different perspective and appreciate it just the same.