Dogville

(2004)

Directed by

Lars von Trier

Review by Todd Plucknett

Dogville is a highly inventive and intriguing film by Lars von Trier, the writer-director of Breaking the Waves and Dancer in the Dark. This film is so weird and so creative that it is absolutely haunting, despite some glaring flaws.

The main character in Dogville is Grace (Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman), a woman on the run from the mob. She arrives in the small, secluded, poor town of Dogville, where she meets Tom (Paul Bettany). The townspeople agree to help her by letting her hide in their town. In return, Grace decides to work there. Grace has a dangerous secret, though. When there are wanted signs posted with Grace’s picture on them, the townspeople decide that hiding her was more risky than they had originally imagined. They make Grace work more for less pay.

The film is shot entirely indoors, with very few props and sets. Most of the town is just outlined on the floor, which only adds to the amount of fondness that one can express toward von Trier’s innovative work.  It is like Pleasantville, in that it is like another world that one person and the audience has been thrust into. It is such an original and brilliant idea that works some of the time.

The performances in this film are strong, especially from the often inconsistent Kidman. Bettany is fine. Chloe Sevigny is fabulous as always. Ben Gazzara, Phillip Baker Hall, Jeremy Davies, Lauran Bacall, Stellen Skarsgard, and James Caan all give good supporting work. Patricia Clarkson was the other standout. John Hurt does the narration well.

Technically, the movie works. There are just some problems that I had with the movie that cannot be ignored. The movie’s bare setting does not work consistently. It drew too much attention to itself. In more than a couple scenes, it took away from the film’s effect. The narration was overused. The editing was lethargic. The final scenes initially feel awfully pretentious, and the closing credits are seriously over-the-top.

However, on the whole, Dogville is not something that will easily be forgotten. The messages are disturbing, unsettling, and thought-provoking. It is definitely not for everyone. I admire the approach and certain elements of the film, which barely outweigh the flaws. Most people would not like this picture, stating that it is too anti-American and that the pace is just too dreary for a 3 hour movie. It may be, but it is never really boring, and it hits just more than it misses.

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