Dogville
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Movie Reviews of Dogville
Movie Review: It is like nothing you have ever seen.
Summary: 5 Stars
Dogville... I saw it when it first came out on DVD and it took me a few days to watch it, but I haven't been able to get it out of my head ever since. I admit it, at first I was stunned. Where's the set? Is this a joke? When is the introduction over and the actual movie begin? Well, the lack of "structure" on the set was hard to get over. Yes, the houses and shrubery are painted to a black stage with white paint. There are no closed structures in the film. Except for some furniture, Dogville is an open book.
The film begins with an introduction to the characters and the arrival of the always stunning Nicole Kidman as Grace. You understand Dogville before she arrives and her arrival affects the very nature of the small mountain town. There is the inevitable love story between Grace and Tom Edison, (Paul Bettany) the town's idealistic philospher. The relationship they share in the film has more dimension than any movie out right now.
However, paradise is never as good as it seems and as Dogville begins to stir, Grace is stripped of her innocence and humanity. The subversive nature of man begins to emerge and I appreciated its relevance to culture today. Not just American culture, this isn't a bitter Danish filmmaker sending hate mail to the Americas. Dogville tells the story of mankind and the fact that dominate members of society have been taking advantage of the weak since the beginning of time.
Also, the supporting cast is incredible. Lauren Bacall, Stellan Skarsgard, Chloe Sevigny, Jeremy Davies, James Caan, Ben Gazzara. Patricia Clarkson... and the list goes on.
This is a beautiful film. If you can weather its minimalist approach and appreciate all the barriers that AREN'T standing between you and Dogville, I think you will feel the movie long after it concludes.
Movie Review: No Puppies in Dogville
Summary: 5 Stars
I have never seen a dramatic performance as powerful as that of Nicole Kidman in this film. She portrays Grace Mulligan, who seeks refuge in Dogville, a very small village (fifteen adults, seven children). Dogville is in a remote mountainous pocket of desperate poverty during the Great Depression of the 1930's. It's accessible by only one mountain road. The one radio in town only plays music. No news. It's like Dogville makes up its own shabby little world.
Grace is running away from gangsters. She is at the mercy of the townspeople, all of whom know that she is hiding from grave danger. So, she depends on the milk of human kindness.
For the most part, Dogville's residents appear to be kind and compassionate toward Grace at first. But that's before they start thinking that Grace just might be the perfect victim...
The film reinforces the Hobbesian notion that many do the right thing only because they fear retribution for behaving poorly. So, how do people treat someone who is totally at their mercy? That is, how do people act once they think that there is no possibility of retribution?
The production of the film is unique. It's set on a bare-bones stage. People act like they are opening and closing doors; there are no actual doors. Walls are just lines on the floor. The most substantial props are cars and a truck used in a few scenes.
Once I got over the unusual staging, I realized that the acting was all that mattered. Kidman's performance is remarkable as Grace comes to learn, the hard way, how cruel people can be. It all builds to a shocking, explosive, conclusion. All of the acting is solid, but, for the most part, the others could just play off of Kidman's work.
Movie Review: Dogged Human
Summary: 5 Stars
Having watched Dancer In The Dark which left me emotionally cold and visibly affected, I expected no less from Dogville. One big difference between Dancer and Dogville is that the latter features just a stage set; no outdoor scenes. The story happens on a cludeo boardgame-like setup with well-demarcated lines and labelled areas that represent each charcter's dwelling place, roads and landmarks etc. The emphasis therefore falls on the actors' acting and good acting you will find here.
Nicole Kidman's character stumbled into Dogville following some mobster's chase. A man, by the name of Tom, sheltered Grace, cared and fell for her. Tom tried to get the townsfolk to let Gracestay, so she began to help out with the residents on a daily basis for a small sum of money in order to gain their acceptance.
However, things take a turn for the worse when wanted posters of Grace were put up in Dogville. The residents made more demands of Grace and the men made more advances. Her escape plan fell off tangent, but Dogville made a costly mistake.
Nicole's acting is consummate. You can witness her emotions rollercoaster to great heights and lows and even the supporting cast gave great performances. The film was accussed of being anti-American and may have cost its chances at the Oscars but director Lars Von Trier should not be bothered for he has crafted yet another masterpiece, the first of a trilogy with the second, Manderlay to be out in 2005.
This film is utimately about human flaws and vulnerability; the human nature of taking advantage of the disadvantaged and also the strength to survive. Nicole plays the role of God trying to help mankind realize their good but wrongdoings must also be punished for.
A masterpiece!
Movie Review: Art at its best.
Summary: 5 Stars
There are some interesting comments on this movie that I can't top. I'll just say whoever can't see the movie as a movie and rather as a criticism of Americans, is not using the full potential of their brains. You people one day will learn not everything is about you. Hardly anything, but the criticism to your selfishness and that deep black hole that's your called "american dream", is about you.
The first time I tried to watch it, I noticed it was so different from anything else that I just couldn't finish it. Six months later, I decided to literally suffer it, but at least have the experience of finishing watching. At the end I understood everything. It's a deep search within ourselves, a deep look at what we can become, what lies beneath every mask we as human beings (and I'll include americans on this) put on.
If you are an american who thinks a movie has to spend millions to be good, has to be all smiles and lies and cover-ups, has to illustrate (once again and foreeeeeeeeever) your "american dream", if you think Nicole Kidman ever really acted on another film (except, maybe, in The hours), if your only concern is to look for criticism because of your way of live, if you feel threatened easily and scared about EVERYTHING (most americans do), please don't watch this movie. You will hate it. But you know, that's a way to recognize art... You can love it, or hate it. You just can't be neutral about it.
That said I conclude with the obvious: this movie is the epitome of art.
And yes, I'm te real voice of truth, so don't get caught by those others reviewers who can't see beyond their noses.
Enjoy the movie!!
Movie Review: Dark, delving movie that brazenly explores notions of humanity at its baseness
Summary: 5 Stars
I wasn't sure what to think of the film as it opened upon a very non-traditional set; chalked in houses, very "play-like" indeed. But the sparseness of the set adds to the raw quality of the work as a whole, and complements the simplicity of the meaning surrounding the movie. While there may be a multiplicity in the interpretation of the work, the many different standpoints all stem from one, very darkly demonstrated, conviction that the writer/director has.
I will admit, I was disturbed and uncomfortable at times. Some scenes were not pleasant to watch, not "entertaining" in the traditional sense, but nonetheless important in a holistic understanding of the movie.
Grace's transformation is almost unbearble. You want to scream at her to not be so complacent, to break her chains, to unsilence whatever goodness she believes she can uphold and enshrine among the evil seeds of the town. In a way, the ending is very satisfying to the viewer, that justice is finally served. And in this confession of vindication, I perhaps fulfill the message of the film. The idea that the director embodies in the carefully scripted dialouge and inconsistencies. I enjoy the violence, the pain...in the end, am I not, as Grace becomes, merely another human being who cannot overcome that.
It is that human-ness; that inescapable and satiated dark side that the film displays with honesty and preciseness. There's an elm street in every town, a deceitful little boy, a passive agressive mother, primitive men with primitive needs. Whether we admit it or not, whether we see it to begin with, it is there and we are part of it.