With BUBBLE, Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh proves that one doesn't need a huge Hollywood budget and larger-than-life actors to craft an affecting motion picture. Following his star-studded spectacle OCEAN'S TWELVE, Soderbergh returns to the small-scale roots of his breakout hit SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE and his no-budget romp, SCHIZOPOLIS. The result is a genre-bending exercise that is a truly original cinematic experience. Set in and around a doll factory on the Ohio/West Virginia border, the film tells the story of Martha (Debbie Doebereiner) and Kyle (Dustin James Ashley), coworkers who have formed an unlikely friendship. But when the pretty Rose (Misty Dawn Wilkins) arrives, hidden layers of emotion begin to surface, culminating in an unspeakable tragedy.

Like a gifted documentarian, Soderbergh uses his nonprofessional cast to present a slice of everyday American life that is unflinchingly, achingly honest. Combined with Coleman Hough's more traditionally crafted plot, BUBBLE becomes something wholly inventive. Shot on digital video by Soderbergh, and featuring a score from former Guided by Voices frontman Robert Pollard, BUBBLE resonates long after the credits have rolled. At only 72 minutes, the film nonetheless casts a strangely haunting spell. This is the first of several low-budget digital video projects that Soderbergh plans to shoot all across America.

Theatrical Release: January 27, 2006

This film screened as part of Lincoln Center's 2005 New York Film Festival.

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Full Frame

Debbie Doebereiner: 
Misty Dawn Wilkins: 
Omar Cowan: 
Laurie Lee: Actor, BUBBLE (2005)
Kyle Smith: 
Dustin James Ashley: 

Steven Soderbergh: Director/Screenwriter, TRAFFIC (2000)

Gregory Jacobs: Producer, FULL FRONTAL (2002)

Coleman Hough: Screenwriter, FULL FRONTAL (2002)

"It holds us because the story has a creepy fascination. Soderbergh zeroes in on an unusual crime of passion."
"[A] devious and fascinating feature....The acting in BUBBLE is powerful enough to shame many of the performance in Hollywood movies." -- Grade: A
3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Soderbergh deserves kudos for the note-perfect performances he gets from non-actors....[A] potent and provocative look at life unhinged."
"[A] fascinating exercise....A series of loosely strung-together episodes that have the flavor of real life, seen through a glass darkly."