DOGVILLE "The society itself which causes its own massacre."

Case study of Lars von Trier´s Dogville with the editor Molly Malene Stensgaard. Trier was inspired by Bertolt Brechtʼs The Threepenny Opera, and set the film in a minimalist studio with few props. There he created a stylised, fictional world based on the charactersʼ convincing psychology and excellent dramatic portrayal.

"When I wrote the screenplay, I saw it as a conventionally formed film. But it felt boring. Then I went on a fishing trip to Sweden, and wasn't having any luck! Suddenly I had the idea that you could see the whole of Dogville as though laid out on a map. That the whole story could be told on an unfolded map."

Lars von Trier

In search of a place to hide from gangsters trying to kill her, Grace goes to Dogville – a god-forgotten small town somewhere in Colorado, USA. A young local intellectual, a writer, gives her shelter and persuades the small-town folk to accept her. In return, she helps them with housework. Things start to get complicated once the gangsters track her down, and with the ever-growing danger, the town residents become increasingly demanding of Grace. What first seemed a generous offer of help slowly transforms into abuse.

Directed by: Lars von Trier
Script: Lars von Trier
Cinematography by: Anthony Dod Mantle
Edited by: Molly Malene Stensgaard
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Harriet Andersson, Lauren Bacall,
Jean-Marc Barr, Paul Bettany

fiction / 2003 / Denmark, Sweden, France, Norway, Finland / 140 min.

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