Debuting its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest 2024, What Happened to Dorothy Bell tackles mental health and generational trauma with a Black family at the center of its narrative. Utilizing various mediums of storytelling (video cameras, online calls, security cameras, etc.), writer-director, Danny Villanueva Jr., follows Ozzie Gray (Asya Meadows) as she uncovers and documents the details of a traumatic event from her childhood that involved her grandmother.
As we follow Ozzie, who moves into the house where she experienced her trauma, and visiting the library where supposedly Dorothy's ghost has been spotted, she is desperate to find answers to what caused her grandmother to act out in a way opposite to her nature. Villanueva Jr. gives us pieces of the story of what happened to Ozzie throughout the first half of the film through police security footage and old school video tapes that Ozzie captured as a child.
Little Ozzie approaches the pretend tent in her room, hoping to find that her grandmother is just hiding. She approaches, her playful tone creating a juxtaposed moment with her silliness and what we imagine to be behind the tent's flap. This is a moment that gives you pause causing you to hold your breath awaiting to see what will soon be revealed. But these moments are far and few between. We do see things moving, contorted faces, and apparitions but what makes What Happened to Dorothy Bell stand out is its themes around generational trauma and mental health.
There was a time when it was taboo for Black folks to go to therapy, yet we see Ozzie having virtual visits with her therapist as she attempts to navigate her past. While it is becoming more acceptable in the Black community, we still have a long way to go in making therapy and seeking outside help more acceptable.
Where this film lacks in budget, it makes up for in story. While it would have been ideal to see more scares and on screen kills, I can understand that with a smaller, indie film, this might have been more difficult to accomplish. Villanueva Jr. gets this done by leaning into the use of darkness, shadows, and lore to heighten the horror elements.
What Happened to Dorothy Bell is a simplistic, found footage journey of a woman desperate to know more about the traumatic events of her past and coming face to face with the evil that caused it. Found footage fans will find this to be a good addition to the subgenre while others may walk away wanting more.
