Todd Solondz

Born 1959 in New Jersey to a Jewish family, Solondz initially wanted to be a rabbi, but after working as a gopher for the American Screenwriters Guild, he began writing screenplays. Due to problems with producers of his feature-length debut, Fear, Anxiety & Depression (1989), he quit directing for several years, to return with Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995). Released during a pitch of interest in American independent cinema, the film won the Sundance Festival prize, achieved critical raves and box office success. Solondz’s next film, Happiness (1998), confirmed the director’s talent (winning e.g. the Cannes critics’ prize). Each of his new films takes on controversial subject matter. His approach to characters, which he does not judge and does not facilitate judgment by the audience, has been referred to as Talmudic. Solondz considers himself an atheist.

Selected filmography

1989 Fear, Anxiety & Depression

1995 Witajcie w domu lalek / Welcome to the Dollhouse

1998 Happiness

2004 Palindromy / Palindromes

2009 Życie z wojną w tle / Life During Wartime