a simple story that examines human nature. had a hollywood director attempted this, with real sets and props, it would have bombed miserably. trier avoids this through the odd world he’s created. it has the feeling of beckettian stage design, with its minimalist approach. yet the narration and dialogue are very straight forward and lack the pretensions of the avant garde. sort of reminiscent of peter watkins’ la commune. dogville runs straight at the topics of community, trust and love. the film also portrays the impressive human capacity for selfishness and the willingness to manipulate others due to our egocentricity.

grace (nicole kidman) arrives in dogville for reasons that aren’t revealed until the end of the film. what is clear, though, is that she is desperate and willing to do whatever it takes to win the trust of the community. the community, initially skeptical, embraces her due to her hard work and kindness. when the possibility arises that grace may have come to the community to escape something, the people of dogville show their true nature. grace is taken advantage of in all manners, most grotesquely as a sexual rag doll to the men of the town. tom edison (paul bettany) acts as the town philosopher and moral guide, and becomes embroiled in his own struggle over philosophy and the flesh. it is he who falls the farthest.

besides the sparse set, this film is given its unique flavour from john hurt’s narration (couldn’t be more perfect for the film) and the cinematographic trick of the large overhead shots of the whole town.

although theme of community is explored in depth, by the end of the film it is made obvious that dogville is making a point about america as a nation. the closing titles are of harsh photographs of american life (including photos by dorothea lange and jacob holdt) set to david bowie’s “young americans”.

i can’t wait to see the next two films in this trilogy, and hope to catch them in the theatre. until then, i should rewatch trier’s the idiots. i don’t know if i could handle dancer in the dark again - it’s only been a few years and i don’t know if the trauma has passed. element of crime left me cold, although that was many years ago and i can barely remember it. dogville can be recommended without reservation.