How do you resolve this conundrum? Your thirteen-year-old daughter is pregnant and wants to keep her baby. Director Todd Solondz shares his solution in Palindromes, the second film in my list of 2005 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. It is like a quest into the woods, as aptly captured in the poster, the audiences go through all the adventures with the thirteen-year-old Aviva, whose name reads the same from both directions, hence a palindrome and whose sole ambition is to have her own baby. What's more, Aviva is portrayed by two women, four girls (13-14 years old), one 12-year-old boy, and one 6-year old girl. This is the first feature film for all of the children involved. (I didn't notice then there was a boy portraying Aviva.) Director explains that it is a neat idea to cast so many actors for a single role because he could explore particular qualities in each actor during different scenes. But don't we all cast different actors for ourselves? Don't we all appear somewhat differently from time to time? It's a paradox that a palindrome remains the same from two opposite directions. Although variation exists, in the essence, there remains some qualities that make Aviva Aviva, me me and you you.

• Courtesy of Internet Movie Poster Awards for the poster.
• More information can be found in the film's press kit.