"Dogville" (feature)
Dir: Lars Von Trier
Premier: 2003
Viewed: 5/3/09
Review: "Dogville" made some really interesting cinematic choices. This is yet another film to challenge the morals and beliefs of the viewer. Narrated a lot like a fable, this film started out pleasant enough. Looking back, it seemed like it was going down a well-beaten path. A damsel in distress, on the run from a dangerous group of thugs is rescued by small-town citizens with hearts of gold. During her stay, she learns to appreciate simple-life values in contrast to big-city living. But gradually, like boiling a live frog, the situation turned ugly and awkward.
To be run over by a large city, the reason it may sting had to do with feeling insignificant, or small. In a small town, the sting comes from a more personal variety of feelings. Once again, the inter-character relationships are very well established. By the end of the film I couldn’t honestly stop Nicole Kidman’s character from ordering the slaughter of the entire town. That sounds horrible to say, but when I actually LOSE COUNT of the amount of times her character was raped, I’d say that town has pretty much begged for their fate. Also when the townsfolk were dying, I couldn’t help but remember that one kid begging to be spanked. I wonder If that was meant to foreshadow the fate of the entire town.
