Dancer in the Dark (2000)

I only saw this movie once, while I was in high school. I watched it over the course of a whole weekend, as I had to stop each 15 minutes for crying. It is the most heartbreaking movie about the injustice there is in the world, about the beauty of emotional and good hearted people. It portrays love, but in a way that it has no power, if not for the beauty it brings for a moment in time. It still remains the saddest movie I have seen in my life. Bjork is delivering such beautiful acting.

Well, I'm not an especially big fan of the work of Lars Von Trier, and i had actually never listened to Bjork's music at all before this movie. Lars von Trier has just never impressed me as a filmmaker. I've always admired the visuals in his movie, like the opening of Melancholia and Antichrist, but none of the movies I had seen from him seemed to be anything special. Until I saw this movie. Now, I'm still not a Von Trier fanboy, but, goodness, I love this movie. It definitely is not for everyone. The style of the movie may be hard for some people to look past, and, admittedly, it was hard for me to digest for the first half-hour or so. But, after the first song "Cvalda", I was completely sold on this movie. I didn't even notice the grainy style of the old digital camera. It's a movie that is definitely more subtle than other Von Trier films. Now, it's not incredibly subtle, but there are some things I noticed the second time around that I didn't catch the first time. For example, during the song sequences, the colors are actually brighter and more vibrant, but it's almost invisible in a first viewing. At least, it was to me. I was raised on musicals, and this one does hold up in its own quirky way. The music is Bjork, and if you are familiar with her, then you will know what to expect. I didn't, and to hear music like this kind of took me aback. However, most of the singing is very good, and this movie completely sold me on Bjork's singing abilities, and I'm glad I was introduced to her through this movie. And, it is a very emotional movie. When it was over, me and my uncle (with whom I watched it with) just sat there in complete silence. Needless to say, the story and music and ending added up to make a fantastic movie. It was so impressive to me, that the very next day, I watched it again. The style is still somewhat odd to me, but it's grown on me. Not for everyone, but if want something that's experimental or emotional or both, check it out.

Okay is not a good word to describe this movie. It is not bland or mediocre; rather it dips into both Oscar and Razzy territory... a lot. Lets start off with the positives:Interesting camera style, which at first feels artsy-fartsy, but works surprisingly well (except for in above shots), and immerses you into this world as if you were an unnamed characterAMAZING acting from all of the supporting cast. Bjork's performance was inconsistent (I'll talk about that later), but everyone else in this film was very, very good I can actually follow what's going on! While I love movies like 2001 (very few artsy movies are actually good, but some are), they can be very, very, VERY abstract (sort of their draw too, I guess), but this one was easily followable, without shoving everything in the audiences face. Now for the shitstorm:The plot holes and technical inconsistencies. Maybe you can chock this up to my CinemaSins nature, but I can't stand plot holes and inconsistencies, especially when they are obvious. And this one has a lot. For example, when Bill first shows off his gun, it is a revolver, and when we see it again in the film later, it is an M1911. While both would make sense for a police officer of the time (which Bill is), he is explicitly mentioned as having only 1 gun, his standard issue police firearm, which is also a major plot point of the film. There are also tons of inconsistencies (this is DEFINITELY NOT THE 1960s, despite the film claiming it as so), like the model of train and SEVERAL background issues. If you nitpick a lot, then this film will give you headaches and nightmaresThe writing. I may have said that the acting was superb, but the writing isn't. While the plot itself was very good, it was just handled very poorly. A good script has a plot that revolves around the characters, and fits with those characters. When a character does something in a good script, it feels like THAT CHARACTER performed said action out of a reason befitting of them (I.E. The joker's seemingly random actions in the Dark Knight fit with his character very well). These characters feel like they do thing for the convenience of the plot, which breaks the immersion set up with the great acting and camera style. Selma's stupidity. Okay, this one goes into the last issue I mentioned. Selma's IQ is very low (not saying Bjork's necessarily is, but Selma the character is about as bright as nylon is flammable). She is SO STUPID!! This is HIGHLY immersion breaking, and she is a disillusion and (unintentionally) irresponsible mother at best, and and a (this segment has been censored due to explicit use of profanity and offensive language. We apologize for the inconvenience, and will now resume the review. Thank you!) at worst. The verdict:Good acting and well-done camera angels lead to superb immersion. Songs that are varied in how good or bad they are. A terrible script that breaks most of the immersion set up by point one. Blatant inconsistencies that break the remainder of immersion left after number three. A lot of unbelievable circumstances that the plot forces these characters into against any sort of believablity. Final word: A motherload of potential, thanks to great acting and superb camera-work, wasted almost entirely by an atrocious script and so many plot holes that it puts the moon to shame. A good, but forgettable soundtrack to boot. Ultimately: wasted potential; this story needs to be revisited by a writer who knows what the hell he's doing. -5.5/10-

Dancer in the Dark (2000): Dir: Lars Von Triers / Cast: Bjork, David Morse, Catherine Deneuve, Peter Stormare, Joel Grey: Disturbing yet brilliant film about endurance through tragedy or one's venture into uncertainty. Ultimately it deals with a woman threatened with blindness but her love for Hollywood musicals keeps her going. Pop diva Bjork stars as a single mother who works at a press factory and she has been stashing money away for an operation to prevent her from losing his sight. Her landlord is a cop who is having financial difficulties and steals her money. She confronts him but he forces her to kill him thus leading to a disturbing battle in court. Hardly pleasant but director Lars Von Triers brilliantly uses musicals to express emotion. Bjork delivers a powerful performance full of emotion as she goes through unfortunate lengths for the good of her son. David Morse is excellent as her landlord whose financial greed leads to his only real regard. Catherine Deneuve plays Bjork's friend from the factory who races to ensure that Bjork receives positive news with regards to her son's operation. Peter Stormare is another friend who supports her in this dire state. Joel Grey also appears, which is a staple for musicals, and seems to support what Bjork represents in her passion for musicals. Theme regards injustice and freedom as her mind takes flight in the joyous presence of song. Score: 8 / 10