Surrender Dorothy is an independent film by director Kevin DiNovis which won first place at the 1998 Slamdance Film Festival.[2] The film stars Peter Pryor and Kevin DiNovis (who performed when the designated actor left the production a week before filming).[3] The film is shot in black and white.[4] It is also notable for featuring the first film role for Elizabeth Banks,[5] who appears in the credits as "Elizabeth Casey."[6]
After the heroin-addicted Lanh robs his roommate Denis, Lanh attempts to hide out at the home of Trevor, Denis's best friend. Trevor is afraid of women. He uses Lanh's drug addiction to manipulate him, eventually transforming Lanh into Trevor's idea of a perfect girlfriend.
Critical reception for the film has been mixed. The Stranger criticized it, saying that although it "makes the most of its tiny budget" it was ultimately "inarticulate and immature".[7] Sam Adams of the Philadelphia City Paper admitted that the film was "not without its flaws" but was ultimately "a bold, ballsy and attention-getting debut".[8]Total Film panned it, giving the DVD release two stars and calling it a "yawn fest".[9]James Berardinelli gave it three and a half stars, praising DiNovis's performance.[10] In The A.V. Club, Noel Murray called it "memorable, but...also grubby, harsh, and lacking in wit".[11] Leonard Klady wrote in Variety that it was "disturbing, hard-edged tale of physical abuse and sexual aberration that pulls no punches" but that it was ultimately "decidedly for niche tastes".[4]Roger Ebert selected it for his first Overlooked Film Festival in 1999[12] in Champaign, Illinois.[5]
^ abKlady, Leonard (January 28, 1998). "Surrender Dorothy". Variety. Retrieved September 14, 2021. Slamdance Grand Prize winner 'Surrender Dorothy' is a disturbing, hard-edged tale of physical abuse and sexual aberration that pulls no punches. The psychologically wrenching film --- shot in black-and-white --- is decidedly for niche tastes.
