Director: Lars von Trier
Let me get this straight before i write anything about this movie. I despise musicals. I just don't undersatnd why they feel the need to break into song & dance routines at the drop of a hat, & that not even organised songs, but songs that are just dialogues set to tune. I understand that they are just a genre of movies, & I appreciate all it, just that I can't really digest the concept.
But Dancer in the Dark stands apart from the crowd. To be really honest, i did find it a little irritating in the beginning, Bjork breaking into song all the time, even at the most serious of moments. But then i did get into it, especially toward the end, where the story seems incomplete without the singing part. Of course, here all the singing makes sense, it is, after all, a story about a woman who loves singing & dancing so much that it overshadows even her reality. How the music in her soul gets her through all her pain & her misfortune, till her very last breath. All she ever had was the music, a friend that never betrayed her, that never left her alone. And it's about her love for her son, a love that consumes her whole & yet she never complains. It's a heartbreaking story, about how good things don't happen to good people & yet, how their goodness & purity carries them through.
The most beautiful, phenomenal, astounding thing about this movie is Bjork. It is only very rarely that you get to see a performance of this calibre, she's a natural, she's wonderful. She is a very talented musician no doubt, but she outdoes herself as an actress. She is the one who holds you spellbound to the plot, makes you feel her joy, her anger & her sadness. You need to be quite strong to not cry at the end, at least feel a lump in your throat. I barely ever cry at movies, melodrama bores me more than anything, but i confess, i did cry a little bit at this one.
The tagline of the movie goes "You don't need eyes to see" & it couldn't be more appropriate, not just as the storyline goes, but also for the ones watching the movie. You can't watch this one only with your eyes, you need to watch it with your heart, only when you can feel it, you will realise the greatness of it.
6 comments:
a very tempting review for a musical, this.
musicals are not my forte too. but this film was exceptional. out of the world performances.
just one suggestion. if you like Von Trier's film making, watch "idioterne" :)
@WIAN... =)
@the none... i loved the style, the kind of hand held camera, documentary thing. i will try to find the one you recommend.
Von Trier was actually the co-founder of the Dogma 95 film movement. Though "dancer in the dark" is not an official dogma film, it still has the basic dogma elements viz hand held cameras, docu style, use of natural light etc. "Idioterne" is on the other hand, the second film of the movement. You may also try to get your hands on the first dogma film "Festen" which you might have seen in its bastardized adaptation called "Monsoon wedding".
Pardon me for the ranting :(
Maybe you won't like it if I do this... but HAVE to say it
Your last post in 'chronicles'... it really hit me where it hurts... So you just went a defined something that was floating about in my head for the last couple of months
*Scotty? I need a hug*
@ mac... which one are you talking about?
*hugs are for free, anytime, anywhere" =)
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