Most children lose interest in dolls as they get older. The eccentric characters in the entertaining documentary Living Dolls are different.
Mike is a grown man living with his parents, boyfriend, and a bunch of beautiful Barbie dolls. While preparing for his first Barbie convention, he was nervous and uneasy about what awaited him there. During his reclusive youth, Michael threw away all his Barbie dolls. But when he showed up to his family and revealed his true self, he reinvested in his collection with great vigor, backed by his closest friends.
Then there’s Michael, an older gentleman whose house doubles as a workshop. Between piles of paperwork, envelopes and tools, Michael tinkers as he strips all accessories, including clothing, hair and plastic skin coating, from each doll. What’s left are bare metal models that look more like robots than Barbies.
David’s passion for dolls goes beyond the mere thrill of collecting. He’s not shy about acknowledging the moments of extreme intimacy he shares with these lifelike pieces of silicon art. He’s not alone in his particular preferences. The film follows him, as he does, at the veritable annual gathering of doll lovers.
And finally there’s Debbie, a beautiful young wife and mother of two whose obsessive doll collection keeps her family from a better life. Her very patient and understanding husband advocated for an end to his wife’s spending habits. It was clear that her OCD stemmed from a missing element in her life that she could not identify.
These people’s lives went far beyond the norm, but the film examines each of their stories without judgment. Does their unique passion represent a harmless form of self-expression? Or are they mentally unhealthy? Some are hopelessly lost in their obsessions, while others seem to finally find their greatest trust and comfort.
Living Dolls, seemingly simple and comical on the surface, actually offers a thoughtful psychological study of how we struggle to overcome loneliness and find happiness.
Directed by: Maureen Judge
