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'HOUNDDOG' CREATE CONTROVERSY AT SUNDANCE
from Actress Archives, January 26, 2007

The Sundance Film Festival has been known to push the envelope as far as film content and movie making. While some subject matter is known to stir up a touch of controversy, Dakota Fanning has whipped up a whirlwind controversy with her latest film, Hounddog. With the premiere of Hounddog at Sundance, Dakota Fanning has gone from a 12-year-old actress starring in the kids movie Charlotte's Web to a rape victim in the rural South in the 1950s.

Even before Hounddog premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Monday, the uproar over Dakota Fanning's role as Lewellen, an incest and rape survivor in the 50's Bayou country, was making headlines. Catholic activist Bill Donahue called for a federal investigation into the film for its theme which he described as child abuse, and went so far as to call for a boycott. The Fox network did its part to slam the movie with the headline "Child star Dakota Fanning raped in new film", a headline which the Chicago Tribune called "offensive", saying it used "misleading shorthand"

The film, written and directed by Deborah Kempmeier, stars Dakota Fanning as Lewellen, David Morse as her abusive, alcoholic father, and Piper Laurie as her strict, stern and God-fearing mother. The film's controversial subject matter has made it a lightning rod for this year's Sundance Film Festival, though Dakota Fanning has rebuffed much of the criticism the film has attracted. In an interview with Reuters, Fanning shot back "When it gets to the point of attacking my mother, my agent ... my teacher, who were all on the set that day, that started to make me mad." Fanning continued, "I can let other things go, but when people start to talk about my mother, like, that's really bad in my opinion ... that's an attack, and that's not fair. They hadn't seen the movie."

Indeed, if any of the critics had seen the movie, it would be apparent that only Fanning's face is featured in the filming of the rape attack, and that the young actress is never seen below the shoulders and no nudity is proffered. As the attacks shoot forward for Hounddog, reviews towards the film lend some justification. While the Hollywood Reporter has praised the film, many critics have simply slammed Hounddog, not because of the subject matter, but because of the film's meandering plot and poor acting. With many early reviews of the film being negative, people associated with The Weinstein Company, IFC Films and First Look have lost interest in purchasing the independent film, not for its subject matter, but for its poor quality. Fox News has gleefully reported this news, quoted one distributor as saying, "No one wants it after the terrible reviews."

While critics decry the film's plot, poor dialogue and cliches, and Christian groups decry its subject matter, Hounddog seems destined to remain unsold, meaning the only time the general public may be able to see it is if the film makes it to DVD. Assuming it does, be prepared for a fresh round of controversy and outrage from Christian groups unwilling to accept Hounddog in the general population.

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