It takes a lot of soul to survive the humiliations and tribulations of youth. In Welcome to the Dollhouse, writer and director Todd Solondz vividly depicts the plight of Dawn (Heather Matarazzo), a homely and awkward 11 year old.
In her suburban home, she is given no respect with all the attention of her parents going to her cute younger sister and her older brother, a computer nerd. In seventh grade at school, Dawn is nicknamed "Wienerdog." The cheerleaders call her a "lesbo" and a delinquent youth singles her out for various humiliations.
To endure these constant assaults on her soul, Dawn responds with her own acts of defiance. She reacts savagely to being treated unfairly. Dawn's soulful yearning for love finds expression in her infatuation with a handsome hunk who is the lead singer in her brother's band.
Welcome to the Dollhouse is a powerful portrait of one young girl's valiant effort to survive the cruel and tense world of adolescence.