Interesting Times: Falling from Grace

[Halle]

Dogville, a film by Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier, is supposed to be an anti-American movie, the director's own coy denials notwithstanding. Perhaps inadvertently, however, von Trier's film actually says more about human nature, and even more about international politics.

The film depicts a tiny town in the Rockies that treats a young woman seeking refuge with increasing depravity. Grace, played brilliantly by Nicole Kidman, is running from gangsters. The town decides to give her two weeks to win them over, which she does by tailoring odd jobs to the needs of each of the 15 Dogvillians.

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In the film, the grudging altruism initially shown by the townspeople is gradually transformed into Grace's enslavement and worse, as her reliance upon them for protection from the outside world grows. There is no reason to believe that Americans could act this way, but if they could, so could anyone anywhere. This is the process by which the Jews were dehumanized in Nazi Germany - the gradual stripping of rights and power, accompanied by the increasing normalcy of depravity.

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Even as Grace sank into von Trier's idea of American hell, she retained a secret weapon that made her potentially much stronger than her tormentors. She landed in her predicament in the first place because she voluntarily disarmed herself of the power derived from her gangster connections, because she was morally disgusted by that world.



http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1073535529818

[Jim Sagle]

1. Excellent article.

[Halle]

2. Thanks. I thought so, too.

I had little interest in seeing the movie; but, now it's a must!

:pals: