Review of Manderlay (2005) by Joe S — 29 Feb 2008

Dogville, this film's predecessor, blew me away. Its a fantastic, daring, original film that keeps you glued for three hours based entirely on the actors' performances. Manderlay, however, does not scale those heights.

It may be that the mostly bare soundstage set has lost the originality it held when you first saw Dogville, although the concept is still interesting. The film also suffers a lack of Nicole Kidman, whose Grace in Dogville was so disarmingly impressive, Bryce Dallas Howard's interpretation seems to be entirely different, making the character less sympathetic.

There are a number of occasions when I thought "Grace of Dogville would never have done that" whilst spoil the film for me. The slavery/freedom issue is interesting (almost the same as a politics seminar I had this morning, how odd) but is also overdone in many areas, perhaps to further Von Trier's anti Americanism.

What is really missing is a punch or a moment of genius (like the moonlight sequence at the end of Dogville) to really pull you in. Perhaps when Wasington (the concluding part of the trilogy) is made this film may be revalued.