Christine CaruanaDancer in the Dark - Film Review
April 5th 2010 06:55
I heard about this movie from a friend and they couldn't really describe it to me, they told me I "..just had to watch it." So that is what I did.
I got the DVD, got comfortable in front of my TV and popped it in.
The movie stars Bjork, and although I'm not really a fan of hers, I find her work interesting and different, and I knew that this movie wasn't going to be your run of the mill feature film. It was so much better!
Dancer in the Dark is a musical, but nothing like the musicals you would be use to. I don't want to give too much of the story away because you all must see this film, but it is a rather depressing tale, which isn't a common feature within a musical.
Selma, played by Bjork, is a struggling single mother, who moved to America from Czechoslovakia, to seek medical help for her son. Selma suffers from a disease that causes her to slowly lose her eyesight, and unfortunately her son will suffer the same fate, if she can't get him the operation he needs in America.
The musical aspect of the film is used as a means for Selma to escape from her troubles. Her one true passion is her love of Hollywood musicals, all but their finale. When she begins to feel overwhelmed or stressed, she will hear music in her surroundings and a musical will play out in her head. These musical scenes are what Selma is thinking and feeling, at a particular moment in time.
The movie deals with relationships; those between friends, mother and son, and husband and wife. It is clear that Selma values her friendships highly, as when her friend goes to her with his problems, she shares hers and promises to keep it a secret between them. Unfortuantely, Selma's trust is betrayed and despite everything she maintains his secret till the very end.
Although Selma is blind, she is the only one who can really see the truth and that she must do whatever she has to save her son.
While Selma loved musicals, the one thing she hated was the ending. She preferred to think that the movie would go on forever. To do so, she would only watch till the next to last song, always missing the finale.
And that is what happens in Dancer in the Dark. Lars von Trier ended the film with these lines across the screen, "They say it's the last song. They don't know us, you see. It's only the last song if we let it be." While technically it is the last song of the film, and the movie has ended, those words tell us that it is in fact not the end for those within the film and they will live forever if the viewers mind allows it.
This movie may not have been a big budget film, or made much of a splash when it was released, but the fact that it is clear that the actors put their heart and souls into their characters, and Lar von Trier captured every moment beautifully; especially with the musical daydreams of Selma, working the lighting and camera effects to create their surreal nature, this movie is a definite must see!
It is a shame it never garnered the recognition it deserves, but if you really want to see a great film, don't let this one pass you by.
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