Hounddog

The New York Times has reviewed the controversial movie Hounddog. The movie was released on September 19 in a limited run. I have no idea if it is still being shown.

The film's controversy stems from its content, which involves a 9 year old girl (played by a 12 year old Dakota Fanning) and her family and friends. Depending on who you read, this movie either supports pedophilia, or it's a coming of age story in which a young girl rises above the horror she has suffered. We have nudity, both adult and children, or there is only brief nudity (David Morse in one scene). There is a rape scene, and either that feeds the lust of the pedophiliacs lurking in the audience, or it doesn't.

I read the official review, but just as importantly I read the reader reviews. The earliest reviewer was clearly disturbed by what he saw, but the rest recognized something else that touched them deeply. The 6th generation Southerner in particular.

I haven't seen the movie myself, and may not be able to since it has all but disappeared from the landscape. It seems there are many who would rather not allow the rest of us to peer deeply into our childhood pasts, or acknowledge what darkness lurks in the shadows. Their voices apparently have driven it out of the commercial theaters.