# Dancer in the Dark (2000)

### reviewed by
Berge Garabedian

    DANCER IN THE DARK
    RATING: 5.5/10 --> Not good enough to recommend

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Several "experiments" were tested in the film industry this year. Director Mike Figgis decided to put together a slew of actors with no script and tape them for 90 minutes straight and turn it into a film entitled TIME CODE. An interesting experiment which was also entertaining, at least, in my point of view. Director Kenneth Branagh also tested a small experiment when he mixed Shakespeare and old-time musicals in a bag and came out with LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST. Another interesting experiment which was for me, even highly entertaining, despite its fluffiness.

And now comes Lars Von Trier, winner of the 2000 Cannes Palme D'Or award, with a dramatic motion picture starring singer Bjork in her acting debut, in a film which courageously attempts to mesh an extremely serious dramatic story with Hollywood musical interludes? Yup...let's see how that worked out.

PLOT: An immigrant woman who is slowly losing her sight is saving up money to give her kid an eye operation so that he will not go similarly blind in the future. Her neighbor is a married copper who needs dough to pay the mortgage and maintain his wife's standard way of spending money. The two become friends and share their troubles with one another, until the day things begin slowly disintegrating in both of their lives. Expect musical interludes during the film, as the lead character escapes reality via a fantasy world of Hollywood musicals.

CRITIQUE: A very strange, provocative film which cannot leave you without an opinion, featuring some great acting, some interesting musical numbers but ultimately an experiment that runs too long and doesn't provide for much true emotional attachment or appreciation. Now before every art lover begins to bust my balls, here's what didn't work for me in the film. This movie reminded me a lot of those modern pieces of art. You know, the kinds of pieces which amaze, delight and touch many quite deeply, while others shrug them off as just plain junk...and pretentious to boot! Well, I certainly wouldn't call this film junk (pretentious, natch), in fact, I admire it greatly for its courage to break all of the rules and try something very different, but for me, the overall film wasn't anything more than that...an experiment. And despite appreciating the acting throughout most of the film, I didn't particularly get attached to any of the characters, and could not feel anything for them as negative elements began to touch their lives. Perhaps it was because of the musical interludes which led me to interpret it all as one big fantasy, or perhaps it was because the film just moved too slowly and the lead character was too irrational and sacrificial for me to believe, but whatever the reason, the film itself left no emotional resonance on me. That's not to say that the movie stunk, but it certainly didn't overpower me as it did many others who apparently left the theatre deeply touched and/or moved. I enjoyed the performances, particularly Bjork, who should definitely get a nod for this, the songs and dance numbers, which were shot using 100 locked-down video cameras and a look different from the rest of the film, and the ambitiousness of it all. Mind you, I didn't particularly care for the lyrics of the songs, which were "spoken" rather than sung and just seemed kind of...well, lame. You haven't seen a movie until you've seen David Morse dance and "talk along" with a musical ditty. Trust me, see it and be afraid...be very afraid.

But here you have this very, very serious story being told by a woman whose motivations I just didn't buy into. She seemed to be writing off everything else in her life, just to get her son that operation. And even though I appreciate her altruistic sentiment, the film just wasn't able to pull me into its corner in that respect. And let's not kid each other here, this film is not for everyone. The so-called "art-house" crowd will undoubtedly eat it up, but I don't see most regular movie-goers appreciating much about this film. Films generally fall into several categories: fun cheese (which this is not and doesn't pretend to be), entertaining and light (which this is not and doesn't pretend to be), deep and emotional (which this wasn't for me but does pretend to be) or just interesting as a watch (which this was for me and did pretend to be). The film is also partly shot in Dogme95 style, natural lighting, lots of handheld cameras, a real "documentary" feel, which may or may not turn off certain people. I enjoyed the acting, appreciated the originality of it all and liked the songs by Bjork (but then again, I've always been a fan of hers), but didn't really "get into the story", thought it moved too slowly and ran way too long, and didn't buy into the lead character's motivations. Admittedly, there was one pretty harrowing scene in this film featuring one of the most realistic murders that I have seen on screen, but I guess that overall, you could say that I am on the fence with this one. I liked the experimental aspects of the movie, but not so much the complete movie itself. Now that was easy, wasn't it? Yipes.

Little Known Facts about this film and its stars: Bjork's last name is Gudmundsdottir. She has one son with ex-husband Thor. She comes from Iceland and used to be the lead singer for the pop-punk band, "The Sugarcubes". Since leaving the band, she has led a successful solo career of her own. She won the award for Best Actress for this film at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, after which she apparently noted that she would never act again. She was originally hired by director Von Trier to compose the songs for his "radical anti-musical", but after spending a year identifying with the doomed, self-sacrificing heroine in the script, she finally decided to accept Von Trier's continuous pleas to portray the woman on camera. Director Lars Von Trier's advice to Bjork in regards to her character was, "Please don't act. I hate acting; feel yourself through it." So Bjork claims that she kind of "became her". Ironically, this film features continuous references to one of the greatest musical movies of all-time: THE SOUND OF MUSIC. In fact, Bjork's character is set to play Maria in the theatrical version of the film in this movie. Cameo appearances in this film include Stellan Skarsgard, Udo Kier and Joel Grey. Despite this film being set in the state of Washington, most of it was shot in Sweden. The rumor is that this was done because director Lars Von Trier doesn't take airplanes.

    Review Date: October 7, 2000
    Director: Lars Von Trier
    Writer: Lars Von Trier
    Producer: Vibeke Windelov
    Actors: Bjork as Selma
    David Morse as Bill
    Peter Stormare as Jeff
    Genre: Drama/Musical
    Year of Release: 2000
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    (c) 2000 Berge Garabedian

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