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Dogville 2003 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Lars von Trier
R, 177 min. (violence, sexual content) |
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Starring: Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Paul Bettany, Patricia Clarkson, Stellan Skarsgård, Blair Brown, Jeremy Davies, Ben Gazarra, Philip Baker Hall, Bill Raymond, Chloë Sevigny, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, James Caan, John Hurt
Producer: Vibeke Windelov
Screenplay: Lars von Trier
Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle
Distributor: Lions Gate Films
Released: 3.26.04 (Limited) |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
Warning: Spoilers below; it may be better to see the film first before reading on.
As one of the founders of the Dogma 95 style of filmmaking - authentic filming without the crutch of effects and lighting -
director Lars von Trier has reached his apex as a provocateur with Dogville, a razor sharp critique of societies that claim morality
only to be revealed as wolves in sheeps clothing. He has been sharply criticized in some corners for such a scathing allegory
of small town America when he has in fact never been to America, but I think the film can be seen as more a commentary
on the pervasiveness of the worst in human nature. Dogville is unlike any film I have seen; von Trier has taken his
filmmaking code to the extreme - there are essentially no sets or props, only a large soundstage where the ensemble cast
must make a convincing story out of nothing more than the viewer's imagination. It's a strange concoction, yet eventually
works as part of the film's powerful hold on those who have created the images in their minds while the actors and storyline
unfold in an eerie, almost tragically predestined manner. In hindsight, the film forces us to confront the depths of humanity's
cruelty while acting as a cautionary tale to those who would listen.
Von Trier (Europa, Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark)
has forged a quasi-morality tale set in the Colorado Rockies during the Great Depression with such vigor and thinly-veiled
contempt for its characters that the cumulative effect is both fascinating and absorbing, grotesque and unsettling.
For most viewers, Dogville will be a pretentious bore that is overlong and disturbing. But for those who see film as a medium
for exploration and discussion, Dogville is enchanting and unforgettable. This review is for those in the latter camp.
Abstract is at the forefront of von Trier's disciplined mannerisms. As the film opens, a shot above the giant soundstage (a town named "Dogville")
delineates the imaginary boundaries of street and homes and those who live in them. The townsfolk are simple, seemingly
affectionate people; everyone knows everything about their neighbor, and there are basically no secrets. Into this exclusive
clique steps a fleeing outsider, Grace (Nicole Kidman), a woman who is searching for somewhere to hide from the gangsters that pursue her. Tom Edison (Paul Bettany),
the aspiring philosopher and writer, takes pity on her and encourages the town to take her in to prove their worth. After a
series of odd jobs around town, Grace is eventually accepted (by unaminous vote) into the community. She is paid wages for
helping each citizen in town for a short time each day. For a while things seem to be fine, until one day the police arrive in
town to inquire about Grace's whereabouts. At first Dogville protects her, but later when police return offering a reward for
her capture, the town begins to slowly turn on Grace. They exploit her by cutting her pay, forcing her to work longer hours,
and eventually, is brutally raped and abused by the men in town while being chastised by the women. Silently suffering
in the background is Tom, who has come to love Grace (and vice versa), but he is paralyzed by the inability to reconcile
his reputation with a viable plan for her escape. Later, when gangsters arrive to claim Grace, she finds herself in a position
to exact revenge upon the citizens that have tortured her.
It's obvious that von Trier is making a statement about the darkest aspects of even the most outwardly loving people,
hypothesizing that given enough time even an innocent will be preyed upon without mercy. Cynical and troubling to be sure,
but not entirely without merit. Von Trier uses Grace to force the citizens of Dogville to confront their own hypocrisy and
answer for their sins. The irony, of course, is that Grace's refuge from her past has become her own hellish prison; she is
actually chained to a steel wagon wheel and forced to continue her labor and violations. So it comes as no surprise, although
deeply troubling nonetheless, when she uses her position as the daughter of a crime boss (it is revealed at the end) to
exterminate the town from existence. "If there’s any town this world would be better without, this is it," is her cry, and it's hard to argue
with that sentiment in the light of her mistreatment. Not even Tom's intellectual appeal to her conscience can save the town
from its own personal armegeddon. Grace ponders and even attempts to rationalize the town's evil deeds as a product of
circumstance and if she would have done the same in their position, but no, she decides that there are bad people in the world
and that the world would be better off without them. Thus von Trier has condemned both the politically right (oppressors
will be eventually oppressed) and left (liberalism in its essence fails the litmus test), and has concluded that life is what it
is.
It's impossible to ignore the Biblical overtones in Dogville, which could be seen as Grace representing a Christ-like
figure who is taken in after helping those in need and then ruthlessly exploited and plundered. Of course, Christ doesn't
exact the vicious revenge upon his oppressors, but in this version Grace acts out a strangely cleansing moment of the worst that
humanity has to offer. But this is just one of several interpretations that can be drawn from von Trier's film, which is
why it is such a fascinating, intriguing endeavor. Like all great films of this sort, Dogville forces the viewer to think, to have an
opinion.
Yet the film's biggest detractors point to the overtly anti-Americanism that is insinuated throughout the film and clearly stated
in the final shots, which is a montage of poverty-stricken Americans accompanied by David Bowie's "Young Americans."
The stinging rebuke of America's heartland rings hollow since it is hardly fair to lump all citizens into one basket; surely such
people do exist, but there are also those who are geniunely compassionate, honest people. This may be the prime example of
von Trier's need for acceptance among his European and elitist comrades in the States, but its inclusion in the film is wholly
unnecessary. Indeed, the story portrayed here could be applied anywhere man forms a village.
In what may the top ensemble performance of the year, the cast is riveting if not spectacular. From Kidman's vulnerability
to Bettany's intellectual haze, there is nary a moment of unrealized precision. The large cast includes the rarely seen
Lauren Bacall (who plays a stubborn malcontent), Patricia Clarkson as the town gossip, Stellan Skarsgård in a searing effort
as a troubled apple farmer, Philip Baker Hall
as Tom's doctor father, Chloë Sevigny as the object of Tom's desire before Grace arrives, James Caan as Grace's gangster father,
and an acidic narration by John Hurt. They form a cluster of repressed hurt and anger, which is soon unspooled upon the
unsuspecting Grace. They enable the viewer to ignore the barebones backdrop and visualize the gripping storyline with
ease; this truly is stage acting captured on the big screen.
What remains after Dogville's stunningly dark finale is a sense of gratitude that most people have the opportunity
to avoid the pitfalls that swallowed the citizens of Dogville in a blood-red moon of retribution. Von Trier's fearless direction
and determination to see his project through to the bitter end adds another layer of complexity to an already overflowing
cup of ideas and revelations. Although the film is certainly one of the year's best, it falls just short of perfection because
of a too-rigid evocation of American oppression; but, in the end, it's more a proclamation that one (or in this case a
community) truly does reap what it sows.
© 2004 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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