Review of Dogville (2003) by Dawn M — 07 Jun 2010

Accomplishing more than most morality tales with about 70% less...everything, Dogville is a great effort from Lars von Trier about the selfish and inherently exploitative nature of man. Although it's a little more thin than I was expecting, this is a well-executed film that took me through all the emotions I would expect from a full-fledged drama off the stage.

I love the minimalism here, and I would love to see innovation like this in more movies. Although some of the dialogue is a bit too blunt ("Are you with us or against us?"), the characterization is remarkable and even scary.

Nicole Kidman is terrific- she made the three hours much more bearable than they would be without such a capable lead. I'm of the opinion that the characterization of America's stigma of outsiders is a little more accurate than some critics (cough, Roger Ebert, cough), although von Trier does overdo it a little.

I'm aware of his reputation as a no-holds-barred filmmaker, but I do hope his other films that I haven't seen are a bit more restrained.