Dancer in the Dark

You probably won't understand the first three minutes of Dancer in the Dark until about half way through the film. It's a long three minutes; I wondered if it would ever end. First I thought the projector was broken, then I became slightly embarrassed and then a little irritated. "What is the director trying to prove?" I wondered. "What a waste of film!" By the end, I understood only too well. Imagine how you would feel if that five minutes went on until the end of your life. There you are sitting in a cinema, and you can't see anything. You remember what it used to look like, but now, there's nothing.

I'm not giving much away here, because it becomes clear early on in the film that the main character has failing eyesight. She is a Czechoslovakian woman called Selma. It appears to be the late 60's. Selma now lives in America, the land of hope, in a rented trailer. She works in a factory, has a young son, and is going blind. She has to keep that a secret in order to keep her job. To her son and some of her friends, Selma appears to be childish, mean with money, and irresponsible. What kind of a person operates heavy machinery with bad eyesight and tricks the doctor into believing that she can see properly? What kind of a mother never buys her son a birthday present, yet hoards thousands of dollars in a tin behind her ironing board? Believe me when I tell you that Selma is probably the kindest and most selfless character you're ever likely to see in a film apart from Jesus Christ himself. It seems that throughout history, truly good people have always been misunderstood, and have very often ended up paying dearly for it. Dancer in the Dark is yet another film that demonstrates how ridiculous it is to judge others based only on what you know about them, and clearly shows the insanity of contemporary society.

Selma is played by the Icelandic singer Björk in her film debut. At various places in the film, she sings and dances (yes, it's a musical of sorts), so if you really hate Björk's music you will not enjoy this masterpiece of film making. Björk's acting is incredible, and for me this was the most moving film I've seen since Hilary and Jackie.

Dancer in the Dark was directed by Lars von Trier who also directed Breaking the Waves, and Idiots, other films that question our sanity, and it follows in the same style, using only hand held cameras and available light and sound. I've been given to understand that it is the final film in a trilogy. What a shame that we may not be treated to any more films like this!