Dancer in the Dark Bjork movie review musical tragedy sorrow blind immigrant

Dancer in the Dark

Stars: Bjork, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare
Director: Lars von Trier
Rated: R
Score: 8.5/10

Buy the Soundtrack

When I remember seeing this movie, a few words come to mind.
Escapism. Tragedy. Spirit

Watching this movie reminded me of "Breaking the Waves", that feeling of peering in on someone's life more so than watching actors onscreen. However where this movie differs is with the main character, Selma, an immigrant factory worker who escapes the monotony of her difficult life by sheer imagination. She has never let go of the childlike innocence where fantasy mixes with reality - where in your own mind you escape the sadness and turmoil of your life by pulling reality into your imagination, the same way a kid daydreams in school she has incorporated this into her daily life.

But for her, happiness is never in the cards. She has a hereditary disease which will progressively make her blind. She has already lost most of her vision but has kept it a secret so that she can keep her job. When she finds out that her son will also develop the same thing but that he can be saved by an early operation - she realizes she must do whatever she can to save up the money to give him the future she never had. The world is a beautiful place to see, and like any mother she only wants to give him every opportunity in life, no matter the sacrifice. Even if he is a very difficult child who doesn't seem to appreciate what she does for him. She rents a house from a local cop named Bill and his wife. But she is very independent. A slow-witted co-worker seems to want to help her and really likes her, but she won't accept his offers. She may seem simple-minded but that isn't the case.

The film takes a turn when Bill gets into some serious financial trouble and decides to take advantage of Selma. He accuses her of stealing his savings and from there things escalate into a very climactic conclusion.

The film really shines in the unique imagery and music, by Bjork, particularly in the factory scenes. She seems to hear rythem and music in everything, and in her mind she drifts into an altered state of daydream as her world begins to darken with blindness.

I probably wouldn't listen to any of the music outside of the film, I know there are some Bjork fans who love the peculiar sound of her voice. However I loved the film, Selma feels like a real person drifting between fantasy and the cold cruel world of her reality. As a child one of her favorite things was when her father would take her to American musical films back in Czechoslavakia. She loved them so much that she would leave the movie in the next to last song because she never wanted it to end. Ever the optamist, the fact that her own life as a musical not being a glamorous nor happy one is heartbreaking, particularly as she yearns to find meaning in every moment of it. For as long as she is able to hear the sounds of the world, she can find solitude in idea of how beautiful the world is in her mind. To take away the sounds she's become so accustomed to in her factory life would kill her spirit.

There are some that will be divided on this film. But for me it was riviting because I didn't realize until the next to last song just how involved I had become with Selma's struggle. Up until then I felt as if I was merely watching out of curiosity of what exactly this film was and where it was going. Her unparalleled conviction in doing right by her son. But I warn you, the last scene of this film is very difficult to watch, particularly if you are the kind that becomes emotionally involved with characters in films. This bittersweet tragedy will leave you raw, but touch your heart. Clearly one of the the most emotionally involving films I've seen.

Hosting by WebRing. Navigation by WebRing.