Review of Dogville (2003) by Edwin P — 18 May 2011

Lars von Trier's "Dogville".

"Dogville" is an experimental cinema that, at a technical level, is creative, bold and audacious. It challenges its audience to be imaginative and responsive to a very minimalist production values approach. It is an art house piece that combines performances from a strong ensemble. It is at this level that I can recommend this motion picture.

Its story and themes, however, are a different matter. This is another film in Von Trier's repertoire that continues to accentuate the negative in human nature. As with his previous film, "Dancer In The Dark", it manages to combine many of the injustices in the world into one setting so as to create a hyper realistic imperfect and evil situation for the protagonist, or in this case, a sharp and pointed critique of the American society.

Von Trier is not the one to temper his comments against America and Americans in general. In the film's production notes, von Trier says, "I don't think Americans are more evil than others but then again, I don't see them as less evil than the bandit states Mr. Bush has been talking about so much." In "Dancer", he paints an inaccurate picture of the American justice system. "Dogville" is no doubt a vehicle for von Trier to provoke his audience again and at the same time immense himself in his own self-importance.

Without a doubt, a talented and creative provocateur, von Trier is a risk taker and likes the controversy that his films generate. But as much as he likes to criticize others for their own ideals along with their transgressions, I have yet to accept some of the themes he purports to advance without the need to delve into his own self-worth.