Day #19 Dogville

Lars Von Trier.  That name is almost a blog in its self.  The name alone evokes emotions from almost everyone who has seen any of his films.  He is most likely the most ....... I am drawing a blank on how to describe him.  A common phrase is "either you will love him, or you will hate him".  I don't think that even begin to qualify peoples feeling on my Von Trier.  To say that some people HATE him is a gross understatement.  He receives death threats on a common basis.  He has been called everything in the book from a masochist, a misogynist, and a sadistic pornographer.  All of which might be true.  His fans praise him to the highest degree.  I have even read blogs claiming him to literally be the second coming of Christ, and fans that have offered to die for him.

I fall somewhere in between.  So far I have seen 4 of his movies and I have to say that I really like 3 of them.  I won't mention the others cause I might be bloging about them later.

Dogville is an art project.  Make no mistake about it.  It is a stage play on film.  I mean that literally.  The entire movie is set on a minimalist stage.  There are chalk line on the floor that represent walls of houses and builds.  Each house contains a prop that is used in some way during the film.  When people enter or exit these wall-less structures they mock open and close the imaginary doors.  The films is broken into a prologue and 9 chapters.  After the prologue was over I wondered if they were going to stick to this aesthetic.  I wasn't sure I could make it though a 2+ hour movie like that.  No only did I make it though, I loved it and was horrified by it at the same time.

Dogville is about a very small American town in the mountains during the depression era.  One night a strange woman appears by intriguing and possible illegal circumstances.  The town philosopher convinces the rest of the community to allow her to stay if she can prove to the town that she is worthy of the privilege.  She then goes around town and helps out with chores and makes friends.  Soon a couple of other visitors appear in Dogville.  Their messages make it more dangerous for the town to stow away Grace, so in return she agrees to take on more responsibilities in the town.

The movie then begins to spiral out of control while Von Trier preaches to the viewers about the nature of greed, jealously and evil.  The men in the town begin taking advantage of Grace sexually. The women folk get word of her loose morals and begin punishing her.  She is truly and utterly tortured by the towns people by the third act.  But have no fear.  The last 20 minutes of this film are so raw and shocking that they literally took my breath away.  Thinking back I can't believe that a film maker had the balls to pull off where Von Trier did at the end of this film.  It reminds me of when Hitchcock killed off Janet Leigh after the first hour in Psycho (spoiler alert!).  I hate it when watching a "thriller" and I have it figured out after the first 15 minutes.,  That has never been a problem with a Von Trier picture.

I have read a lot of reviews of this movie that claim Von Trier is making an anti-American statement.  I can see their point, but if that was all they were focusing on I think they missed the point of the entire film.  The movie is manipulative and confrontational and totally compelling.  This is a must watch in my book, but it is a one timer for me.  I am in no hurry to watch this one again.  All that having been said, I give this movie a 4/5 stars.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.