Can you handle these graphic eccentric movies? Lars Von Trier is a dark man filled with disdain for the world. The Danish director was one of the youngest directors to have his movies put on the big screen in Denmark. Join us as we go through all of these dark movies together.
14.) Manderlay (2005)
Set in 1933, the film takes up the story of Grace and her father after burning the town of Dogville at the end of the first of the trilogy Dogville. Grace ends up outside of a plantation called Manderlay and learns nearly 70 years after the civil war that slavery is still abundant. She decides to stay (with a few of her father’s gunmen, and her father’s lawyer Joseph) to help the slaves transition from slavery to freedom. All of her efforts are for not when all the good she does backfire. . Finally admitting her failure, Grace contacts her father and attempts to leave the plantation only to be stopped by the slaves. At this point, it is revealed that the slavery is encouraged by the community's eldest member, as a means of maintaining the status quo, protecting them from a hostile outside world. The only reason I even recommend this film is because it’s a part of the U.S.A- Land of Opportunities trilogy. The constant drop of the word N*gger is unnecessary and done in a tactless manner so much so you can almost feel how uncomfortable many of the white actors are through the screen. This movie is also a sequel that changes who the original actress Nicole Kidman was replaced with Bryce Dallas Howard, which I believe is a critical mistake. It causes a disconnect from the first movie Dogville. Lars Von Trier has always expressed his own artful opinion/political beliefs through his movies in such a beautiful way. But Manderlay leans too far away from art to try and focus exclusively on his own misanthropic beliefs. I can’t help but agree with Josh Kun of the Los Angeles Times "Trier gets lost in his own rhetoric.”
Score: 8/100
No good deed goes un punished...
13.) The Idiots (1998)
A seemingly anti-bourgeois group of adults spend their time seeking their "inner idiot" to release their inhibitions. They do so by behaving in public as if they were developmentally disabled. At a restaurant, the patrons are disturbed by the group's mischief, barely contained by their supposed "handler", however, single diner Karen develops a curiosity about themselves and their antics. Karen is invited to join the group to head off to join them to release her inhibitions. Karen is taken back to the leader's (Stoffer) uncle’s home which he is supposed to be selling but is using it for the group's head base for “activities”. Stoffer challenges the group to take their (what society deems as inappropriate) behaviors from the house into their daily lives. Karen takes up the challenge. She goes back to her house, where they are greeted with surprise by Karen's mother. Karen has been missing for two weeks, following the death of her young baby. Karen attempts to act out in front of her family, but this results in a violent slap from her husband, Anders. Karen and Susanne leave the house together. The Idiots provoked a storm of publicity and debates, one of which was about the fictional representation of disability. As a person who has in the past worked with people who deal with disabilities, I found the movie lacking. What the group refers to “Spazzing” (behaving disabled) could’ve been done better. It felt like I was watching a bad knock-off of the Jackass movies. Although Jackass came later. This move isn’t really worth the watch unless you're looking to go on a Lars Von Trier marathon.
Score: 14/100
Lose everything to gain true Nirvana.
12.) Epidemic (1987)
Protagonists, screenwriters Lars (played by Lars Von Trier) and Niels lose the only copy of a film script "The Policeman and the Whore". They begin to write a new script about an epidemic: the outbreak of a plague-like disease. The script tells about a doctor, Mesmer, whogoes to the countryside to help people. During the next few days, the facts of the script join the real-life events in which a similar disease starts to spread. Lars and Niels have dinner with their producer, to whom they reveal at the end of the film, that Mesmer and his medical kit have spread the disease. The producer does not like the short twelve-page script. After that a hypnotist and a woman arrive in the house, to "help" with writing the script, but the woman is overpowered by the visions of the script which are becoming real. She commits suicide, then another woman who shares the house with Lars and Niels dies too, and Niels begins showing the signs of the disease. Besides interesting filmography decisions and some interplay of different stock films, there isn’t much substance to the film. The concept of a script come to life is interesting and having the actual scriptwriters play the roles is unique. The actual story is predictable. You pick up that something is off with the script is almost immediate. Then you figure out it was Doctor Mesmer behind the mysterious illness from the first moment you met him. All though if you’re patient enough the movie eventually rewards you with a horrifying climax.
Score: 22/100
Are you... sick?
11.) Dogville (2003)
Dogville is a very small American town and the only place Grace can run. The first movie in the U.S.A- Land of Opportunities trilogy. Tom the town writer, in a way the town philosopher and leader, meets Grace running from mobsters who supposedly shot at her. Tom convinces her to stay to use her ,as an illustration, to have the townspeople prove themselves as having real values. The town agrees to accept her under the condition she earns her keep. Once Grace turns from a missing person to wanted, the town decides her doing household chores is no longer enough to hide her. They begin sexually abusing her and beating her. It comes to the point where Tom, originally her savior, turns her over to the mob for the reward. When they arrive the mic drops. She’s not running from the mob, but running away from her father, the head of the mob. She has the mob gun down the town for the atrocities they did to her. When watching Dogville it’s almost as if you’re watching a play at the theatre. Instead of the waft of popcorn, you experience the stench of human suffering. While there are a few witty moments, it’s hard for Von Trier to hide his loathing for humanity behind his artistry in this movie. It also follows the narrative of most of his movies in which the bright protagonists are awakened to the cruelties of reality. In this movie, Grace is originally played by Nicole Kidman whose stunning performance makes this film heartbreaking.
Score: 29
Sometimes not everything is as it seems.
10.)The Boss of it All (2006)
The owner of an IT company, Ravn, wishes to sell it. But, for years, he has pretended that the real boss lives in America and communicates with the staff only by e-mail. That way, all the hated decisions can be attributed to the mysterious boss thousands of miles away. While all the popular ones to himself. Now, unfortunately for Ravn, the buyer insists on meeting the man in charge in the flesh. In a panic, the owner hires a failed, over-intellectualizing actor to portray this imaginary boss. The actor proceeds to improvise all his lines, provoking some of the staff, who finally get to meet their ghostly boss. If you enjoy dark and clever humor this film is for you. I found myself giggling at the employees randomly losing it at the representation of every mysterious corporation. You’d never expect a comedy from such a dark dramatic director. It hits a scratchI needed itch as a millennial over the regular 9-5. It’s a unique office comedy that anyone needing a laugh should watch!
Score: 36/100
Protecting yourself can end up hurting others.
9.) Dancer in The Dark (2000)
Selma a Czech immigrant, has moved to the United States with her 12-year-old son, Gene. They live a life of poverty as Selma works at a factory. She rents a trailer home on the property of town policeman Bill Houston and his wife. Selma has a degenerative eye condition and is losing her vision. She has been saving up to pay for an operation that will prevent her young son from losing his vision. In her day-to-day life, Selma slips into daydreams, imagining that she's in a musical. Knowing she is blind Bill steals her savings. Selma confronts Bill about the theft. He pulls a gun on her and they fight. Bill gets accidentally shot and begs Selma to kill him which she obliges to. In court, she is accused of being a Communist sympathizer and of pretending to be blind to exploit the American healthcare system. She is convicted of murder and given the death penalty. Dancer in the Dark shows Von Trier's range directing his own dark twisted version of a musical. Your heartbreaks for Selma as she’s taken advantage of over and over again. The film drags quite a bit but the story underneath is worth it. Telling of the broken American dream from a foreign director's point of view is depressing to put it honestly. Instead of the immigrant making the best of her situation and rising above the waves she is swallowed whole by the raging sea that is America's prejudice.
Score: 41/100
Sometimes sticking to your morals can destroy you.
8.) The House Jack Built (2018)
Jack, a failed architect in 1980s Washington, recounts how he became a serial killer to Verge. Each of Jack's crimes, depicted through flashback, features commentary from both Jack and Verge. When we come to Jack’s final murders he has detained six men in his freezer, intending to kill all of them with a single bullet. Upon realizing his ammunition has been mislabeled, he leaves visiting a friend, SP. SP phones a police officer and Jack stabs SP through the throat. He returns to his freezer, and needing more space, unseals a closed-door inside, he meets Verge, who reveals he has been observing Jack throughout his life and reminds him that he has never built the home he intended to, as Jack had made several attempts to build his perfect house between his murders. Jack arranges the frozen corpses he has collected over the years into the shape of a monstrous house. As police break in, Jack enters his "house" and follows Verge into a hole in the floor, entering Hell. This film takes you on a wild ride, giving subtle easter eggs to true crime fans, as some of Jack’s crimes resemble actual serial killers from the time period. For most, you relate closely with Verge who can not wrap his mind around Jack’s atrocities. The strangling scene in this horror film is the most accurate I’ve seen and extremely graphic. All of his murder bring you up close to the mind of a monster. It feels like Jack is expressing Von Trier's own disdain for humanity which seems to detach him from the true serial killer.
Score: 49/100
Oh Jack, you are truly a man of Evil.
7.) Element of Crime (1984)
A detective named Fisher, undergoes hypnosis to recall his last case. The Europe of his hazy recollection is a dystopia. Fisher remembers pursuing an elusive killer called the "Lotto Murderer", who was strangling and then mutilating young girls who were selling lottery tickets. He attempts to track down the killer using the controversial methods outlined in a book entitled The Element of Crime. He is joined in his search by a prostitute named Kim, who, it turns out, has had a child by his target. Fisher's search is based on a tailing report written by Osborne when trying to track down a murderer who had been killing in the same way as the "Lotto Murderer", but who died. The Osborne method requires the detective to try to identify with the mind of the killer. Because of this Fisher begins to behave more and more like a serial killer himself. Element of Crime feels like watching a movie from a much earlier time. It uses the conventions of film noir and constant night to give you a deep uncomfortably feeling of endless suspense. Lars Von Trier film captures how sometimes doing everything for societal good can turn you into a dark monster. Watching Fisher go from appreciating Kim the prostitute to abusing her makes your stomach drop.
Score: 50/100
Sometimes hunting a monster turns you into one.
6.) Nymphomaniac (2013)
On a snowy evening, middle-aged bachelor Seligman finds self-diagnosed nymphomaniac Joe beaten up and lying in the alleyway behind his apartment. He takes her back to his home and listens as Joe recounts the story of her lustful life. Seligman, a highly educated but cloistered man, collects and analyzes Joe's stories with Seligman's favourite hobby: to read about fly fishing. This is why he has a fly fishing lure on his wall and this is how their conversation begins. Throughout the story, he parallels much of what she has experienced with various methods of the sport. This story feels like a messed up coming of age story, and the twisted view of young femininity. Joe’s dark humor almost makes her depraved search of the most intense orgasm almost palatable. The polarizing existence of both Joe (the whore) and Seligman (the virgin) is touching until Seligman attempts to take advantage of Joe since in his mind she is already sullied. This movie captures an art that Lars Von Trier can only create transforming grotesque subjects into beauty.
Score: 62/100
Would you like some tea?
5.) Europa (1991)
A young, idealistic American (Leopold Kessler) hopes to share empathy to the German people soon after the end of World War II. In US-occupied Germany, he takes on work as a sleeping-car conductor for the Zentropa railway network, falls in love with a femme fatale (Katharina), and becomes entangled in a pro-Nazi conspiracy. Katharina and Kessler meet on the train. He joins her for dinner meeting her father, an important figure for the German public to move past the war. But due to the pressures of “werewolves” who are Nazi sympathizers Katharina’s father takes his own life set off a domino effect that Kessler can’t stop. This film feels like Casablanca. You wouldn’t know it was filmed in the 90s with the vintage filmography and 1930’s costume design. This movie can be confusing as the narration is a play on psychotherapy. It captures the societal standards of having to choose between two evils and not choosing isn’t an option. A lot of the filmography feels like Von Trier just wanted to play with cameras and new technologies of the 90s which can be overwhelming at times.
Score: 63/100
Fear the Werewolves.
4.) Antichrist (2009)
An unnamed couple’s toddler son, Nic, climbs up to the bedroom window and falls to his death. The mother collapses at the funeral. The father, a therapist, is skeptical of the psychiatric care she is receiving and takes it upon himself to treat her personally. The couple hikes to their isolated cabin in a woods called Eden. During sessions of psychotherapy, she becomes increasingly manic, often demanding forceful sex. The father finds a self-disemboweling red fox that tells him: "Chaos reigns!" In the dark attic the man finds the woman's thesis paper, which includes violent portraits of witch-hunts, and a scrapbook in which her writing becomes increasingly frantic and illegible. She reveals that while writing her thesis, she came to believe that all women are inherently evil. This horrific masterpiece will have you grief-stricken. Lars Von Trier captures sorrow, death, sex, and the sense of meaninglessness. The cinematography captures a sense of impending doom with the deep fog. While the scene where the mother cuts off her own clitoris is disturbing but is a deep darker commentary. Removing what makes her woman in the form of female circumcision just as losing her son removed her from motherhood. This film takes you where you need to be even if you go kicking and screaming.
Score: 75/100
Grief is a dark slithering thing that will consume you if you let it.
3.) Melancholia (2011)
Newlyweds Justine and Michael arrive two hours late for their own wedding reception at the estate of Justine's sister, Claire. Upon their arrival, no one ever asks what Justine wants.She is unhappy, but throughout the dinner, she is praised for being beautiful. Claire urges Justine to hide her debilitating melancholy from her new husband Michael. Justine's boss, Jack, is ruthless and greedy. After several hours of being alienated from each other, Justine and Michael quietly agree to call off the marriage. Michael departs, leaving a severely depressed Justine isolated at the estate, with Claire and John furious at her. A newly discovered rogue planet called Melancholia has now become visible in the sky as it approaches ever closer to Earth. John is excited about the "fly-by" predicted by scientists, while Claire is frightened by alternate predictions of Earth being hit and destroyed. In the meantime, Justine's depression has grown worse. Claire takes her sister under her care. This movie really captures Lars Von Trier's maturity in his filmmaking. Instead of Von Trier's usual in-your-face approach to express his disdain for humanity, it feels almost as if his own heart is breaking. I felt increasingly annoyed at how Justine’s special day was ruined by her family. My heart broke when Justine's only way to happiness was to accept their impending doom. This movie is visually captivating and the soundtrack takes it above and beyond.
Score: 82/100
Weddings are not always a joyous occasion.
2.) The Five Obstructions (2003)
The Five Obstructions is a 2003 Danish documentary film directed by Lars von Trier and Jørgen Leth. The film is conceived as a documentary. This movie incorporates lengthy sections of experimental films produced by the filmmakers. The premise is that von Trier has created a challenge for his friend and mentor, Jørgen Leth, another renowned filmmaker. Lars von Trier's favorite film is Leth's The Perfect Human, and von Trier gives Leth the task of remaking The Perfect Human five times, each time with a different "obstruction" imposed by von Trier. It’s captivating watching the student challenge the mentor. Von Trier pushes Leth in unique ways each obstruction creates a new beautiful film even though the script stays the same. Von Trier’s own mentor becomes frustrated with each obstruction breaking one of the rules in which he is punished. Forcing his mentor to remake the film. This documentary gives a unique glimpse into the filmmaking process and into Lars Von Trier’s dark mind.
Score: 89/100
Could you eat a lavish dinner the poverty ridden streets?
1.)Breaking The Waves (1996)
Bess McNeill is a young and beautiful Scottish woman. She marries oil rig worker Jan Nyman, a Danish non-churchgoer, despite disapproval from her community. Bess has difficulty living without Jan when he is away on the oil platform. Bess grows needy and prays for his immediate return. The next day, Jan is severely injured in an industrial accident and is flown back to the mainland. Bess believes her prayer was the reason the accident occurred. No longer able to perform sexually and mentally affected by the paralysis, Jan's condition deteriorates. He urges Bess to find another lover and tell him the details, as it will be as if they are together. Bess begins to believe these suggestions are the will of God and in accordance with loving Jan wholly. The entire village is scandalized by Bess fulfilling her husband's request and is excommunicated. Bess decides to make what she thinks is the ultimate sacrifice for Jan: she unflinchingly goes out to a derelict ship full of barbarous sailors, who violently gang rape and attack her, causing her death. Jan is later shown, substantially restored to health despite the doctors not having thought it possible, burying Bess in the ocean, deep in grief. Honestly, while this is one of Von Trier’s earlier films it shows a thoughtfulness that he seems to lose in his later films. Possibly because he hasn’t found his disdain for humanity quite yet. You route for Bess even though society would deem her actions despicable. I found myself wanting to be childlike and hopeful like Bess. Out of any of Lars Von Trier's films, this is the one you must watch. The fact that you can watch the film for free on youtube is also a plus.
Score: 95/100
Love wins in the end...
