Dogville

Colour
Denmark, France, Sweden, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, 2003, 178 min
Section: Horizons

Synopsis

The sleepy life of Dogville, a former mining town whose inhabitants are feeling the effects of the Great Depression, is stirred up by the dramatic arrival of a young stranger. The lovely Grace is on the run from gangsters and Tom Hanson (the first person she meets) offers her refuge. Because Tom is a local moral authority his fellow citizens agree to let Grace to stay for a while; in return for harbouring her the young woman offers her services. Although out of initial shyness few take advantage of her offer, when it appears that Grace is wanted by the police the locals become bolder and begin to require more and more work in order to compensate for the risk they are taking. The young woman, who gradually becomes a servant and even a slave when she tries to escape, discovers how relative are the decency and integrity of these God-fearing people. No one, however, suspects the secret that lies behind her escape from the gangsters. Lars von Trier said he took inspiration from the song “Pirate Jenny” from Brecht’s The Beggar’s Opera. A stylisation typical for Brechtian theatre is one of the building blocks of this remarkable, much talked about film – one of the greatest film experiences at this year’s Cannes festival (despite leaving without an award).

About the director

Lars von Trier (b. 1956, Copenhagen) studied at the Danish Film School. He made over 50 commercials, music videos and TV movies before coming out with his first screen feature The Element of Crime (1984) awarded the Technical Prize at Cannes. He shot Epidemic in 1987 and Europa three years later, the latter awarded at Cannes with the Jury and Technical Prizes. Another great success came with Breaking the Waves, which in 1996 took the Grand Prix at Cannes, and Best Actress (Emily Watson) and Best Film at the European Film Awards. He competed again at Cannes in 1998 with The Idiots (Idioterne), shot in accordance with his Dogma 95 manifesto of film purity. The director also received praise for The Kingdom (Riget), conceived originally as a television series with elements of science fiction. Dancer in the Dark took the Palme d’Or at the 2000 Cannes IFF.