Dogville

I finally got around to watching Dogville today. Had the DVD for a while now but just couldn't get around to it. It is 3 hours. But gosh, what a journey u take in that time.
It's definitely one of those ocsar material movies (as it was aptly nominated last year for best pic)... Right from the get go, you notice how different this movie is. It a cross between a play and a movie. The genius of this Danish fella called Lars Von Triem - he's the eccentric director of the piece (how eccentric u only get when u watch the making-of DVD). Uncanny how genius always carries these quirks.

Anyways the show takes some getting used to cos everything takes place in a town called 'Dogville' which is a forgotten town nestled at the end of a mountain road with a community of 15. Why do you have to get used to? Cos the whole 'town' is simply demarcated by chalk lines on the ground with labels like 'Chuck & Vera's House' and 'Mulberry bushes' (with chalk lines of the bush like u did in kidergarten) and simple windows here and there and important props like beds and chairs and stuff, and the main avenue with all the activity is marked 'ELM STR' in big white letters. Very quirky and major distraction at first, esp since the plot takes a while to take off...

But once the story starts rolling, you're totally gripped by the show. Sucked into this vortex of greed and arrogance and all that is bad about human nature; which according to the movie is our animal instinct. Hence dogville see.. Anyways you cannot help but feel like u're on this train slowly but surely creeping into oblivion together with Grace (Nicole Kidman's character) as she unwittingly gets used and increasily exploited by the whole town. Brilliant concept and great story-telling. But really very avant garde cinematography; then when u see how the director agonised over every scene in search of perfection u realise this ratty man deserves all the credit for thinkin up this unique setting (Btw he housed them all in this big warehouse for 8 weeks to film everything, total boxed up living that really got to the actors esp leads Bettany & Kidman. AND the cast was half scandinavian so they kept smattering abt in Danish in the Making-of video which totally surprised me)

All in all a masterpiece. You've gotta watch it, cos descriptions don't convey the special feel and soul of this movie.