"Dorothy Mills" is one of those films that may not fit into the horror category, but it still contains enough elements to get the attention of horror lovers who want more than gore and a nice variety of scares. I admit that I also like those kinds of horror films, but I can also acknowledge and praise something a little bit more complex, less violent and more 'psychological', which is the case of this film. 'Dorothy Mills' certainly went beyond my expectations and I honestly don't understand why some people are complaining about the movie being 'too slow'. For the contrary, this film successfully manages to capture the attention during the first minutes, which is a crucial thing to do when you're telling a story. If you shock the audience enough during the first minutes and develop a well narrative line that gets more and more complex throughout the end, you're all set, and personally, I think Agnès Merlet and Juliette Sales achieved this perfectly.
I don't know anything about Jenn Murray, the young actress who portrayed Dorothy Mills. I am not acquainted with her earlier work, but I don't need any information to state that she is definitely one of the most gifted actresses I have seen in a long time. The first time we see Jenn on screen, her character is doing something extremely violent, which provokes repulsion and hate towards her. However, only a few minutes later, Dorothy suddenly appears as a poor innocent child, which causes more sympathy than fear or rejection. Jenn Murray is obviously gifted enough to elaborate a complex character, who never ceases to amaze the audience with a variety of types of behavior through the entire film. Dorothy is a flawless character, not only thanks to Jenn Murray, obviously, but also because the writers did a marvelous job creating her. Judding this film by the cover, one would be inclined to assume that 'Dorothy Mills' is another movie about a bad little girl who kills people and gets away with it because nobody ever suspects of young innocent little girls. Well... this is really not the case. The cover is misleading and it makes it makes it look campy, when in reality, Dorothy is a much more complex character with a lot of things to express. Again, I have a special love for campy films as well, but I'm just stating a difference, in this case.
I highly recommend this fine psychological thriller, with one of the most complex 'villains' I have seen in a while. If you're in the mood for a good thriller with some well done twists, give this movie a chance.
