Cheerleader Autopsy 2004 Horror Movie Review

A superbly executed screen adaptation of ‘Lolita’ by Nabokov’s, ‘Cheerleader Autopsy’ borrows heavily from early Fellini and late Kubrick.  However, master auteur director Stu Dodge manages to avoid the shortcomings of his mentors while flawlessly combining their greatest strengths.


Most impacting is Dodge’s ability to bring his cast into a fully-realized method-acting rendition of Nabokov’s vision.  Stark, visceral, exhilarating and, at times, uncomfortable to watch, the cast’s performance is brutal in honesty yet feather-subtle in its humility and grace.


The role of archetypes in the collective unconscious are vigorously explored in this film, a clear homage to Fellini’s Italian neorealism period of the 1950’s.  In fact, one can assert and support that ‘Autopsy’ is the most elegant and well thought out exploration of romance between declining elderly characters and robust young—and Jungian—examples of budding youth.


This film is an absolute must for those who enjoyed ‘The Graduate’ and ‘Harold and Maude’ as well as passionate fans of Fellini and Kubrick.