Anybody seen the movie "Dogville"?

It stars Nicole Kidman, and includes a slew of very respectable, easily recognized actors (in fact, pretty much EVERY character is played by such an actor).

Anyway, I saw it this weekend at the International Film Festival taking place here in the Twin Cities. I believe it is currently in limited release in a few cities and will be widening its release in a few weeks (though its appeal is select, so it probably won't be hitting most theatres).

Well I just wanted to talk about the movie if anybody else has seen it. How did it make you feel? For those that haven't seen it, the level of Anti-Americanism in the movie is truly astonishing, yet done in such a way that the indictment is undeniable. To be fair, the movie also comments on the relationship between human nature and power in general, so its not so much that America is inherently evil as it is that we simply have the power to be evil and thus are.

So this movie just left me numb. I was left with this feeling of "where do I go from here?" or "what now?" Truly thought provoking.

And as a specific question: does anyone have any theories as to what the dog being named "Moses" had to do with anything? I am sure there was a statement in there, but I couldn't figure it out for the life of me.

Seriously, even the scathingly negative reviews have just made me want to see it more.

Perhaps I'm masochistic, but Breaking the Waves and Dancer In The Dark are two of my favorite movies ever.

I despise Nicolle Kidman and I still want to see this so badly. Of course I will probably have to wait until DVD since I don't imagine it is going to open wide.

One of my favorite movies as well. If you liked that one, I guarantee that you will like Dogville. And as for the reviews, fuck 'em. I have noticed in reviews of the movie that people who slam it are either:

a) of the flag waving "America can do no wrong" type who resent the mere idea that the rest of the world might have grievances with the U.S.

or

b) are too stupid to understand that the entire movie is a metaphor for the relationship between the United States and the rest of the world (with the third world countries in particular, of course).


As for Kidman, I thought she was great, but then I am a fan of hers.

Is someone who I usually agree with. And her problem wasn't that it was anti-American it was that it was anti-human and borderline sadistic.

But like I said, even the negative reviews have made me want to see it.

He's very hit and miss. Not nearly as good as Stephanie Z. or Andrew. O IMO.

Honestly, I didn't like "Dancer in the Dark" all that much (though I haven't seen it in years, so I need to go back and try it again), so I wasn't expecting to enjoy "Dogville" after reading the reviews. I was very pleasantly suprised. I think it's fair to say Trier is a little misanthropic, but that is such a minor quibble measured up to the genius of Dogville.

..so that could be why I enjoy his movies.

I'm in love with the director's work--I think Breaking the Waves and Dancer in the Dark are two great films and they feature two of the strongest performances by actresses in the history of film.

The film has a great look and offers a bleak, truthful commentary. I didn't find it anti-American, although I understand that some people might disagree with me. I think it is an indictment of many values certain Americans hold dear and it is an overtly feminist film, which is tantamount to anti-American these days.

I really believe it is a wonderful work of art and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys films that challenge rather than satiate.

On edit: Subject/verb disagreement; missing conjunction.

Especially the narrative voice by Jim Hurt--sheer genius. The movie works in the tradition of Brecht--twisting a typical bourgeois narrative into a comically absurd situation, thereby alienating and shocking the audience. The viewer should feel numb and a bit violated, as if the director betrayed you by being idiosyncratic. Or the viewer should laugh his ass off because it's funny. At the end of the expirience, the next time the one sees the sort of bourgeois plot Dogville mocks, one will be more conscious and critical of its implicit philopshical/political message.

Hence, this sort of drama serves to enlighten its audience. However, Trier takes it beyond Brecht in the sense that he is close to utter nihilism, without the promise of justice through socialism.

For me, this pedagogical effect, combined with the humorous spectacle, is the point of the film. As I see it, Dogville doesn't make a philosophical point. What it does is tear down and negate philosophical points. It is only positive in the sense that it makes you laugh. What positive philosophical content the film offers is for you to extrapolate rather than decode.

I didn't find the movie anti-American at all, actually. I didn't think the setting of the film had much significance, and the many of the ideas mocked by the film (the frequent stupidity small community utopianism, the falseness of the idea that small community can morally isolate itself from ravenous national society, the utter hollowness of the nature=virtue equation) are hardly specific to America. Von Trier's vague comments on this matter were just another ironic joke, IMO.

I don't really know about Moses.... I'll give it some thought! :)