tm Does the QT 20 Part 13: Dogville

BIG-ASS SPOILERS AHOY!

Dogville (dir. Lars von Trier – 2003)

Dogville, Small Town USA during the Depression, becomes the new home of a woman (Nicole Kidman) on the run after being involved in a bank hold-up in a nearby town. The Dogvillites are suspicious but she makes an ally (Paul Bettany), who wins the town over and they accept her; to show her gratitude, she starts doing little jobs around the town, helping people out. But, eventually, her need for secrecy and that the townsfolk hide her from the police, eventually puts them in a position to leverage the woman’s gratitude into servitude. Her attempts to escape are undermined and Paul Bettany’s character, convinced he’s doing the right thing by being an apologist for her, keeps making things worse. Eventually, her bank-robbing cohorts show up to claim her and it rests on Nicole’s character if there’s a need for pay-back.

This is not an easy movie to watch. Its shot on a bare stage with the walls of the buildings just marked on the stage, giving it a very theatrical atmosphere. Further, the metaphor is that in a small town, everybody knows what the other people are doing - walls are just for appearances sake. The communal silence that grows in the obvious mistreatment of Nicole’s character is chilling, especially as she’s systematically raped by the town’s men; which, on a set without walls, is done in plain view of the townspeople. The movie also is broken into chapters, complete with titles; some may complain of the stop/start flow, but it works like a play, with a brief pause between scenes.

The director, Lars von Trier, is a polarizing person – not only amongst viewers & critics, but also among the actors. The friction on the set of his movies is well known and clearly seen in one of the bonus features of the dvd – Trier sets up a ‘confessional booth’ where anybody can go in and discuss anything on video. However, full credits are given to Trier for effort and vision.

Not for everybody, but a great movie.

tm sez: 8/10

Wendy's Films of 2010 #14: Nine (2009)

First, I must say that I wanted to include about half a dozen pictures here since the visual aspects of the film are more flattering than the content, but two will have to suffice.
Judi Dench is a goddess, much like Meryl Streep. She's powerful, magnificent and full of awesome, and if it weren't for her, Penélope Cruz and Marion Cotillard, this movie would probably not even grasp at potential. As a whole, it's a jumbled mess, with songs that are pointless displays of "Ooo, look at me!" And I'm not surprised in the least. People kept telling me, left and right, how bad it was. And in a way, I'm glad I didn't listen. It was fun, visually stunning and had its moments of "Man, if only the whole movie had just done that." Take Cruz's introduction, she was clearly having fun doing it, which made it just as much fun to watch. The cast was almost amazing, with a few exceptions (Nicole Kidman, Fergie and Sophia Loren) and it made me sad to think that it could have been wonderful if someone had only cared enough. Holes in the script were evident and songs felt pointless at times; nearing the end of our screening the projector failed, and as the film began to play again it was clear what was going on in the story. I started to narrate aloud since the sound wasn't quite working yet and said, "I just can't do it anymore!" in an attempt to reflect the distraught Guido Contini's words. And just as I said "anymore" in a mocking dramatic tone, the exact same word came pumping out the theatre speakers: I had chosen the same phrase as Guido himself. This is simply a testament to the quality of the film as a whole. It's supposed to be overly dramatic, but I would have preferred at least a bit of something unexpected.