Dorothy Mills (2008)

 

Dorothy Mills is an Intriguing Genre Bender

by Kristin Battestella

Continental psychiatrist Jane Morton (Carice van Houten) travels to a tiny Irish island to evaluate Dorothy Mills (Jenn Murray), a young babysitter accused of attacking her infant charge in the 2008 international thriller Dorothy Mills written and directed by Agnes Merlet (Hideaways). Suspicious town history and backward thinking about the supernatural impedes Jane's attempts to unravel Dorothy's psychosis – leading to manifestations, violence, and revenge.

Turbulent coastal waters and foggy Irish cliffs open Dorothy Mills before scripture, crying babies, and creepy kids. The rural community and country church contrast the mainland institutions, psychiatry cases, and scientific evaluations as the old school atmosphere is set without the typical horror in your face prologue. Newspaper clippings of our attempted babysitter killer lead to a stormy ferry, water perils, winding roads, accidents, and all hands rescues. The local townsfolk are kind to the stylish outsider but gawk at her and balk at her mental sciences, distrustful of calling outside authorities to handle their business. Accounts of the night in question move fast with evil voices and hysterics – the parents of the victim fear Dorothy is insane and will abuse again. The minister recommended Dorothy as the sitter, for he's also the one room school teacher and the town doctor with outdated medical equipment and prescriptions for simple healthy living as the cure for everything. Supposedly devout men stare, drink, goad the youths, and object to our doctor's investigative approach. Her house to house interviews, therapy sessions, and tranquilizers jar with their bonfires, masks, slaughtered sheep, and homemade exorcisms. Even the relatively friendly, seemingly progressive sheriff tells Jane to leave before it's too late, but the ferry won't be there for another three days. Nosebleeds, flickering lights, dog perils, and hypnosis mix the supernatural and the psychology without resorting to today's big paranormal to dos. Is this multiple personalities? Ghosts? Possession? When the community blames and shames Dorothy, trying to cure mental illness with religion and backward fears, whom can you trust? Cliffside perils and taunting manifestations escalate to chilling visions of the drowned and deceased. Ghosts and flashbacks merge amid revelations and hypocrisy as the town fears more authorities and journalists coming to ruin their island. Can Jane and Dorothy leave the island for proper treatment? Rather than pulling the rug out from under the audience, this multi layered mystery balances the consequences, evidence, and payback as Dorothy Mills brings the threats home.

Early English roles as brief love interests don't do Carice van Houten (Black Death > Game of Thrones) justice, but Doctor Jane Morton has history. She's continental and suave, low cut compared to the drab, bundled up locals, but hints that Jane isn't so put together come via pictures of her late son and the booties dangling from the rear view mirror. Upon totaling her car fresh off the ferry, Jane sees and hears what others do not, however her grief remains touching rather than unreliable – until visions of her dead toddler mount. Instead of boom shocks and jump crescendos, these creepy, dreamy moments are sad, focusing on the pale distraught and tears. She hates the bland local foods and renting a primitive truck to get around the village, yet Jane continues to investigate while the snickering townsfolk object to her methods. There are a few whispering town asides to fill in the past, but Dorothy Mills is best when it stays in this outsider point of view. Old ladies upstairs and bygone crimes mount, but everyone insists Jane's ominous discoveries can't be, dismissing her as strained and exhausted as her appearance becomes increasingly frazzled. Our doctor is desperate to source Dorothy's psychosis – to Jane, Dorothy is the victim in need of treatment, a girl with Village of the Damned white braids and a room full of drawings, dolls, and toys. In her debut Jenn Murray (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) is dowdy as Dorothy, looking younger already before skipping, changing her voice, and claiming to be a three year old named Mimi. No one listens to Dorothy but Jane, who promises to believe her without judgment and assess what's best. Dorothy's father is unknown, and this faith first community has always treated her as “special” instead of considering a true mental illness. Dorothy screams at the other reflections in the mirror before becoming an older, promiscuous teen rebel who tells of more personas that won't let Dorothy out because she tries to harm herself and them. Our unlikely pair must find which identity harmed the baby and why, but a dominant male named Duncan takes charge. Does Dorothy have psychic gifts that are a curse rather than a blessing? Her emotional connections to the deceased don't explain the paranormal phenomenon or the manifesting personalities. Dorothy Mills explores the trauma of the dead and resolves the root cause through our ladies and their relationship.

Thanks to the aughts production and rural locales, when exactly Dorothy Mills takes place is fittingly unclear. Mainland cell phones and big computers disappear in favor of downed phone lines, tape recorders, and no repairs on Sunday. People have to duck the low ceilings in old fashioned, cramped, and cluttered rooms amid mirrors, family photos, and lacking amenities. Cigarettes accent nerves, eerie distortions, zooms, and warped camera angles reflecting the mix of supernatural and psychosis. Surprising gunshots and splatter build chills rather than awe with gore, yet Dorothy Mills is unfortunately obscure. I still have a Netflix disc queue for such rarities, yes, but the long awaited disc was scratched, jumped, and skipped a few minutes several times. Recently, I've also seen several other early 2000s pictures that have been tough to find due to their fellow shitweinsteinpig labels – unfairly cut, unreleased, or buried. Dorothy Mills is an intriguing story, a well played drama that can't be pigeonholed with typical, erroneous Hollywood horror marketing. While this can play as horror at times, it is not meant to be scary. There are no whoosh across the room hysterics or sexual sensationalism and tawdry visuals drawn out in unnecessary episodes. To wise viewers, the cause is typical, apparent from the very beginning with obvious fatal twists and plenty of foreshadowing and watery metaphors. Fortunately, the personal investigations and tragic performances carry Dorothy Mills' mystery, pulling out a surprise or two thanks to the well done characterizations. Rather than a catch all of excuses throwing every horror trope at the screen to undermine the viewer, this is a fine balance of multiple paranormal ideas and real world trauma.