Dogville
d. Lars von Trier, 2003
Lars von Trier's Dogville, one of the key films of the past few years, was deemed anti-American upon its release back in 2004. Though the arguements are not completely unfounded, to say that the film is only against America is to have missed the point. Making a movie that criticizes the U.S. is too simple, and von Trier, perhaps more than anyone, knows that. Dogville, instead, comes as an attack on a lot of widely accepted values, and in the end becomes a statement about the arrogance of mankind. And even if you don't take any of the different layers the film has to offer into consideration, Dogville still offers an exhilirating experience. The performances are all around amazing, the visual style is quite innovating, and the running time of 3 hours feels like 90 minutes.
Briefly, the film follows Grace (Nicole Kidman) as she arrives to the township of Dogville. She is runing away from gangsters and finds refuge in this small town. A young man named Thomas Edison (Paul Bettany) encourages her to stay in the town. Being the believer of democracy that he is, Tom calls a meeting in which the entire town (roughly 20 people) will decide whether or not to give Grace a chance. They decide to let her stay for two weeks and then, based on her behavior, form their final decision. As it happens, Grace's generosity and desire to be helpful gets taken advantage of, and true colors of the town begin to show up.
Von Trier's visual style in Dogville is unlike anything he's done before. Filmed on a bare soundstage with very few props (albeit chalk lines that say things like "goosebery bushes"), the film has a very theatric feel that calls to mind the work of Brecht, as well as that of filmmaker Sirk and Fassbinder. Though the latter two directors used melodramatic conventions both as irony and as plot devices, von Trier tries to elimate all of that in Dogville by giving us the presence of a narrator who oversees everything, the wonderful William Hurt. Whenenver the audience finds themselves relating to Grace, Hurt is there to keep us at a distance.
The tonal shifts in the last section of the film feels, much like everything else in the film, as a masterstroke on the part of von Trier. Though I don't plan to give these surprises away, anyone who plans to watch Dogville should be ready for a subtly disturbing experience. Ultimately, though, Dogville is a visionary work by one of the great working directors, as well as a brilliant meditation on human nature as a whole.
