Dogville
2003
****
Director: Lars Von Trier
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Jean-Marc Barr, Paul Bettany, James Caan, Patricia Clarkson, Jeremy Davies, Ben Gazzara, Philip Baker Hall, Chloë Sevigny
The people in the small town of Dogville, in the Rocky Mountains, agree to shelter a beautiful woman fleeing from gangsters on the condition that she performs labour for the residents. At first welcomed, she soon becomes increasingly exploited and abused as the townspeople’s generosity gives way to cruelty. Lars von Trier's captivating and unsettling drama can be interpreted as a portrayal of the American immigration experience. The film is long and not particularly cinematic, but it is so powerfully written and brilliantly acted that one quickly forgets that it takes place entirely on a single artificial studio set. Followed by Manderlay in 2005.
