Private Project

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.

  • Rocky Nguyen
    Director
    The Superior Pho of Cleveland, The Shipment
  • Rocky Nguyen
    Writer
    The Superior Pho of Cleveland, The Shipment
  • Aaron Connor
    Producer
  • Jacob Ryan
    Key Cast
    "Tobin"
  • Briana Brandt
    Key Cast
    "Abby"
  • Daniella Simms
    Key Cast
    "Mom"
  • Michael James
    Key Cast
    "Dad"
  • Caylie Obert
    Director of Photography
  • JC Wilson
    Production Designer
  • John Bando
    Assistant Director
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 13, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Cleveland State University
Director Biography - Rocky Nguyen

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.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

“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.