Review of Dogville (2003) by Vivian L — 23 Feb 2010

Bold, disturbing, dark and bleak would be the best ways to describe Dogville. Von Trierâ??s pessimistic look at true evil in people is all of these things. Von Trier has balls, being a dutch native who can make these sorts of accusations about American life, but his perspective feels so real and gets you so emotionally invested that all you can do is sit back and watch.

From the opening, where its clear from the lack of buildings that this will be anything but a conventional film, we get a strong sense of Americana, so strong in fact the very idea of the idyllic American small town is a parody of itself.

People in the town are presented as being overly polite and God-fearing folk, so it really is a crushing blow to the townâ??s delicacy when Grace arrives, on the run from some gangsters searching for her.

Saying more about the plot would be a disservice to anyone who has yet to watch the film, but quite simply you will be surprised where things go from there. Von Trierâ??s wall-less set is noticeable at first, but the strange thing is you get used to it and accept it as normal beyond the initial shock of it.

It speaks volumes to exactly what Von Trier believes is important to film, the characters and their interactions. By stripping away any background scenery, your attention is drawn straight to the faces of the actors, which I can only imagine must have been very revealing for the cast.

Maybe the most innovative film of the last decade, Dogville needs to be seen to be believed.