by Blair Rinn
Daily Lobo
Danish filmmaker Lars Von Trier said a film should be like a rock in the shoe.
His latest harrowing project manages to deliver this feeling of discomfort.
The film "Dogville" tells the tale of a rural American community that is given the opportunity to help a woman whose life is in jeopardy. The inhabitants are salt-of-the-earth folks who live modestly during America's most devastating economic depression.
Tom Edison (Paul Bettany) is the local moral philosopher who attempts to edify his fellow townspeople through a series of ethics lectures. They begrudgingly convene to endure his pedantic speeches.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
One evening, Tom is pensively strolling about town when he is jarred by gunshots he hears in the distance. Following the alarming sounds, a poshly dressed woman frantically enters the town. This damsel in distress, Grace (Nicole Kidman), claims she is being chased by mobsters and implores him to help.
He wants to give this attractive fugitive refuge, but is first obliged to consult the people of Dogville. Tom is elated because through Grace, his town can illustrate the virtues of acceptance and charity. The town congregates and concedes to allowing her a two-week trial stay.
During these 14 days, she tries to earn their approval by doing chores and favors for them. Her efforts pay off and the residents decide to give her sanctuary in their town.
Soon the county sheriff saunters through town to post wanted signs that display Grace's unmistakable face. The townspeople start to see her presence as risky, so her stay becomes contingent upon an increase in menial labor. Her status changes from a woman who needs help to an indebted woman. The Dogville pack soon subject Grace to a life of servitude and unrelenting abuse.
Tom is enamored with Grace and seems to be her only ally. He makes futile attempts to help her, and at the same time he tries to appease the people of his town. This naãve moralist is confounded when he witnesses the exploitation and cruel treatment of Grace. He expected his neighbors to demonstrate altruism and genuine concern for the welfare of others. The audience may too be startled by the town's malignance, but brace yourself for what Grace has in store.
Von Trier is commenting on the avarice he believes the capitalist system creates. He thinks that from the smallest one-horse town to the largest metropolis, American society is infused with greed.
"I am critical of a country with a system that allows so many losers," Von Trier said on www.imdb.com. "I think it is wrong."
The anti-capitalist view was instilled in him early growing up in Copenhagen with his Communist parents accirdubg ti tge Web site.
Even if you don't agree with his statement about America, you may still appreciate his truly original style of filmmaking. "Dogville" is shot entirely on an austere stage with minimal props. The outlines of homes and buildings are drawn on the floor with chalk. The wall-less town keeps the characters exposed so that the audience can observe their true natures.
The movie has a storybook quality that comes from its use of a narrator, a prologue and the nine chapters that divide the film. Astonishingly, Von Trier's unconventional design works well.
The superb cast animates this stark town with their pantomimes and impeccable performances. Chloâ Sevigny, Lauren Bacall, William Hurt and other masters of the craft make the viewer believe that this town exists.
Be warned that parts of "Dogville" are difficult to watch, and may be more like a razor than a rock in your shoe.
