Dollhouse
A white-picket family is falling apart. While Mom and Dad are in the midst of a nasty separation, Tobin discovers his big sister, Abby, has found a new escape in heroin. He’s desperate to help her but doesn’t know how.
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Rocky NguyenDirectorThe Superior Pho of Cleveland, The Shipment
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Rocky NguyenWriterThe Superior Pho of Cleveland, The Shipment
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Aaron ConnorProducer
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Jacob RyanKey Cast"Tobin"
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Briana BrandtKey Cast"Abby"
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Daniella SimmsKey Cast"Mom"
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Michael JamesKey Cast"Dad"
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Caylie ObertDirector of Photography
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JC WilsonProduction Designer
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John BandoAssistant Director
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Genres:Drama
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Runtime:14 minutes 30 seconds
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Completion Date:October 13, 2022
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Production Budget:1,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes - Cleveland State University
Rocky Nguyen is a Cleveland-based filmmaker working as a Writer/Researcher for Transition Studios, a true-crime documentary production company.
She also studies at Cleveland State University, double-majoring in both Film, with a focus on screenwriting & directing, and English, with a focus on creative writing.
Her recent documentary short, “The Superior Pho of Cleveland,” has screened at the Ohio Shorts Film Festival and the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival. Her recent narrative short, “The Shipment,” has screened at CSU's 2020-2021 Film & Media Arts Student Film Festival and the Columbus Moving Art Review.
After graduation, her aspirations are to write and direct prosocial family-friendly films that inspire the younger generation.
“Dollhouse” is a love letter to growing up in Northeast Ohio during the 2010s.
The backdrop of this story is inspired by a conglomeration of situations witnessed first-hand and peer testimony as I grew up in a Protestant Christian church. In these formative years, I noticed a common thread: despite a holy exterior on Sunday morning, our lives were falling apart behind the scenes.
As an adolescent quietly observing the pain around me, I often felt powerless and unknowing about how to help my friends and loved ones. Now as an adult, I have realized that there are countless people who have lived through near identical experiences within religious communities.
I hope that “Dollhouse” resonates with viewers as a reflection of life a simple acknowledgment of others that grew up in their own dollhouses.