Dogville








Director - Lars von Trier

Genre - Drama/Mystery/Thriller


Von Trier directed the hell out of this movie. To call this 'stylized' would be putting it mildly. Employing the concept of a staged theater but filming as if the characters in the script were lab rats to be studied (extensive crane shots of the open, barely there set remained throughout), von Trier gave the story utmost honor. And what a story it was! Written by the incredibly gifted director himself, the words which came out of the actors' mouths were like jewels formed in the mind of a great literary giant. We couldn't believe the level of complexity and scope of depth it had. Nicole Kidman plays a woman on the run who seeks refuge in a town filled with destitution and despair. In the course of wanting the townsfolk to accept her, her character goes through a baptism of fiery oppositions which threaten to destroy her own humanity. Kidman turned in a first rate performance the likes of which if she never again acts in another film, will surely carry her name proudly in the history of cinema. It won't kill you if you don't watch this, but you would've lived a little less.

5 STARS!

All about Dogville

Comments

Patrick Gamble said…
Excellent review. This film tends to get ignored due to Von Triers reputation as a prankster and his tendancy to be 'just a litte' bit artsy, or a complete nihilist (depending on your own stance)

This film was a wonderful character study that used it's desolate scenery as a wonderful metaphor for the towns folk, who were all lacking in something or other.

www.neonklaws.blogspot.com
Von Trier tries very hard to find new and different ways to tell stories. More often than not, his stories stand out because of this approach. As a filmmaker, what he does is wonderful because he not only challenges himself, but also cinema itself. Cinema should not remain stagnant. It should breathe, live and grow.

With directors like von Trier, Gaspar Noe and Kim Ki-Duk around, movie lovers are assured of a slew of groundbreaking work making huge waves in this era.

Thank you for your kind compliment of our review. We hope to solicit more comments from you in the future!
Ben said…
To me, it's Von Trier's best movie. Moving performance from Nicole Kidman, who can work it whenever she feels like.
siutou_amy said…
Great words on Von Trier.

So many people dislike his style or what he tries to do as a whole, but at least he's trying to do different things... whether we liked them or not.

I have been waiting for him to complete his trilogy, but it seems like he's stuck with Wasington. Plus, Nicole Kidman is probably never going to reprise her Grace.
Ben - That may well be true. We haven't seen all of his work yet so are not qualified to give an informed verdict. It is as good as 'Breaking The Waves' though.

Amy - We're glad you like him too. However, we would like to make a confession. You see...we're not complete fans of his work. 'Breaking The Waves', 'Epidemic' and 'Dogville' are all wonderful movies. 'Dancer In The Dark' and 'Antichrist' we didn't like that much. Von Trier's work is often marked by a deep sadness. A dark melancholia of troubling depression. It gets to be very hard to watch sometimes. But of course, that should not take away the fact that he's a genius in cinema. Thank you for your input Amy.
Squish said…
Damn! I just stumbled across your site and I find slick concise reviews of Thee Wrestler AND Dogville? sweet. You might be interested in the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die club. Swing by we'd love to have you:
www.filmsquish.com/1001
Thanks for inviting mate!