The story follows Jack, a highly intelligent serial killer, over the
course of twelve years, and depicts the murders that really develop his
inner madman.
Beyond the serial killer portrait and some truly disturbing scenes this is an excellently complex exploration of human existence and the frailty and ambiguity of art - and a self-critical reflection of von Trier's previous œuvre.
Oilman Jan is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his
return, feels guilty; even more, when Jan urges her to have sex with
another.
Immensely intense and depressingly realistic drama investigating issues of compassion, love, faith and innocence; Emily Watson's performance is spectacular.
Halliwell****: "A remarkable and striking film, though in some ways a dislikeable one. It has a raw, emotional power rarely encountered on film, owing its soulful and guileless central performance and the restlessly casual, close-up camerawork; but its theme, an apparent celebration of self-sacrifice through sexual degradation, is often unlovely and hard to take."
Maltin***1/2: "Extraordinary story...A bold, often unsettling examination of love and faith, given immediacy and power by von Trier's documentarylike approach and Robby Müller's faded visual scheme, which root the miraculous in the everyday world. Watson, in her film debut, is unforgettable in the lead role."
A group of people gather at the house in Copenhagen suburb to break all
the limitations and to bring out the "inner idiot" in themselves.
Lars von Trier's first (and only) film made in compliance with the Dogme 95 manifesto (which he co-authored) is in itself already a cynical and deliberately provocative satire, superfluously of society, but more of Dogme 95's objectives.
Halliwell (no star): "A talented director pushes his art in the wrong direction: this is a scrappily filmed satire on family life, both conventional and communal, where the cult leader is far more parasitical and controlling than his abused suburban counterparts."
Maltin*1/2: "Too dull to be controversial, this was the first Danish film shot under the "pure cinema" manifesto called Dogma 95; the results look about as groundbreaking in a modern context as Vitaphone. One character talks about trying to find his "inner idiot," which, of course, Jerry Lewis has been doing for half a century."
A grieving couple retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair
their broken hearts and troubled marriage, but nature takes its course
and things go from bad to worse.
Ambiguous black fairy tale, basically a two person drama congenially set and photographed in a dark forest; some scenes may not be suitable for the squeamish.
Maltin**: "Intense, gorgeously designed drama becomes increasingly gruesome, with some scenes so brutally graphic they're nearly impossible to watch. This isn't SAW-type torture porn; it's grimly serious, but also very difficult to decipher, with touches of fantasy thrown in. To say it's not for all tastes is an understatement, but those interested in writer-director von Trier may well find something to their liking."
A young woman has emigrated with her son from Central Europe to America where she works day and night to save her son from the same disease
she suffers from, a disease that inevitably will make her blind.
Grim and highly artificial melodrama, staged like a study of genre cinema (including the musical); Björk's surprisingly strong gripping performance (and her songs) makes this it worth the watch.
Halliwell**: "A film to divide audiences into those who will respond to the intense emotions on display, many of them heightened by anguished sequences of song and dance; and those who will find the jerky handheld photography a needless distraction, and will reject the melodramatic sob-story as shameless manipulation. Björk throws herself into the role of the most self-sacrificing mother since Stella Dallas with complete conviction."
Maltin**1/2: "Ambitious, brazenlyoff-putting musical (!)...Writer-director von Trier's attempt to expand cinematic musical conventions is certainly thought provoking, but ultimately cold and very literal minded, and not helped by jagged song-and-dance numbers. Björk is impressive..."
