it pretty rare when i be at a loss for word and particularly when i be weigh an opinion on a film . even more rare be when i be speechless about a film by a favorite filmmaker . and to further the irony and the film be title storytelling . write and direct by todd solondz ( welcome to the dollhouse and happiness ) and storytelling be actually two short story within the same film . be a fan of solondz work and i can not possibly pretend to be surprise that storytelling be depress . anyone who have see his other work know what he or she be in for go in . one thing that i felt about storytelling more than any of the other two solondz film i have see be that it seem a lot more personal . the character of toby be clearly a representation of solondz and and a depiction and answer to and of his critic who say that he be a horrible person for mock his character and etc . in the film and when a fellow filmmaker criticize toby and tell him it be glib and facile to make fun of those people and toby denies this and simply say i love them . look back on his past work and and look back on review i have write of those film and there be a definite pattern with the characterization and the situation that solondz write them into . the situation be painful and the character be sympathetic ( or pathetic and depend on how you look at them ) and but the pain come from solondz not turn the camera away from the subject when they be at their most vulnerable . most filmmaker and in order to make a more commercially acceptable film do not inject the kind of honesty that solondz do and which naturally end up create criticism for him because it be different . also notable be his defiant decision to and rather than cut his film accord to mpaa standard to give it an r rating instead of nc 17 and create a ridiculously large red box to mask the sex scene in fiction . apparently he be tell that the scene either need to be cut or he would get a high rating and ( an absolutely ridiculous notion because the action itself be not overly graphic and it be the detail of the scene that be disturb ) so in his refusal to cut it and he decide to throw it back in the mpaa face and call it what it be represent censorship . out of many disturb scene and there be one scene that i find so profound that it have not leave my mind since i watch this film last night . scooby decide that he want to see the footage that toby have shoot thus far and so he travel into new york city to see him . mike and who tell him that toby be actually screen the footage elsewhere a they speak and greet him at the door . when scooby get to the screening and where various intelligista be gather and he see himself on the screen and give his inner thought and while the audience be laugh . other than to turn to the footage on the screen and the camera do not leave scooby face and which have be transform from a look of hopefulness to a mask of grief . later and when he return home to an unexpected tragedy at home and among the various policeman and etc . and toby run up to scooby with mike and camera in tow and say and oh my god and scooby . i be so and so sorry . to which scooby and provide the last line of the film say and look right into the camera and don not be . your movie a hit . that scene and those word and and the rest of the film make storytelling shockingly and almost unbearably good . solondz and who have make a career out of turn his eye to the fraying suburban ideal and be at his bleakest with this film . i have read criticism that he be too dark and which make his film somewhat unwatchable while a notion i find absolutely ridiculous . true and his film be like repeatedly rip scab off of a wound and never allow it to heal and but their profundity be almost tangible . storytelling be so thought provoking and effective that i find myself too numb to fully react until i actually begin to put my thought into word and at which point i felt like i want to cry my eye out . in a society where film like guess who and miss congeniality rule the box office and i find this to be a really difficult film to universally recommend and but there be definitely those out there who will appreciate this film . an extremely strong positive . shelly .