My dearest scatterheart
There's comfort
Right in the eye of the hurricane
Just to make it easier on you
You are gonna have to find out for yourself
(Song : Scatterheart from the motion picture “Dancer in the Dar,” lyrics by Bjork)
When was the last time you cry for a movie?
The question exists since drops of tears stringing down the face after two and a half hour concentrating on Lars Von Trier’s movie, “Dancer in The Dark.”
After two previous critical-acclaimed films for his “Golden Heart Trilogy,” “Breaking the Waves” in 1996 and “The Idiots” in 1998, Lars Von Trier, an infamous Danish director who’s well known for experimenting new material in his films, decided to complete his project by inviting Bjork, an Icelandic superstar, to take part and portray another side of herself in this movie.
“Dancer in the Dark” tells a story of Selma Jezkova, a Czech immigrant, who works at a factory with poverty life. She is suffered from a hereditary degenerative disease that will finally cause her to go blind, and of course her son, Gene, may automatically suffer the same fate. Despite her blindness, Selma still works hard and safe all money she receives to pay for her son’s operation to prevent the devil’s own luck. To escape from a real-life misery, Selma glides into her imagination – a surreal melodious world that’s fulfilled with thing she loves – music. The fact that Selma is a very innocent and honest woman starts to give her an unfortunate journey of life that eventually slips to one of the most miserable and unforgettable last scenes of all movies.
The plot seems very heartbroken as it really is in the film. The problem with this kind of plot is that who could be so naïve and innocent as Selma always acts. Viewers can get annoyed after scene and scene of the main character being too “honest” and way too “generous” which are very odd to say when speaking in terms of morality in the real world. But since this is the way the director wants it to be, then it is ridiculously agreeable.
However, the film is successful in term of indicating how cruel the luck could be to one harmless woman. It crushes out the deepest depression from audiences. It also captures a glance of capitalism in some part of the movie.
Many of Bjork’s hardcore fans could unquestionably put this movie into their most favorite films lists. Bjork was flawless in becoming a poor blind woman. She nailed loads of drama scenes that will make you reconsider the talent of this artist; especially in the must-see ending. Other casts were OK, no other outstanding roles but it was acceptable since no actors were actually lame.
Hand held digital camera is mainly used in this movie. Of course in several scenes the director needs to spawn more than 50-100 cameras to capture a view from all angles. Good or bad, visionary or a wrong experiment - it sure causes some shaky vision problem to audiences, but in the end this particular technique also delivers an amusing impact to those who watch. As it, no matter intentionally or unintentionally, generates a “real” perceiving to the movie; therefore it offers such emotional landslides while watching. Nevertheless, many still complains by the low quality of image appears in this movie. So this might be a two-edged sword at the end.
Anyway, to differentiate Selma’s musical fantasy from a normal scene, Lars Von Tier uses static cameras instead and also adjusts the colors so that viewers can feel the separateness.
This film could be categorized to a melodrama. Therefore, one of the most essential things in this movie is the music. There’s no actual music that plays along the storyline at all, except the movie’s own musical scene in Selma’s surreal world. Having no music makes it very raw and somehow heartfelt. As viewer can assume to be there with the characters and witnessing all daily-routine sounds surrounding without exaggerated background music like many drama movies always have. Yet it could be very boring for some case as a real-life sound drags the story until the end.
Undoubtedly, Bjork, who’s been iconized as the queen of experimental alternative artist, offered her hands for an original soundtrack to the movie, including some of the background music. She composed and produced the songs that are played in Selma’s surreal world in the movie with some assist from her long time collaborators such as Mark Bell and Sjon. The lyrics are beyond related to the main character. Though it could be judged as very Bjork-ish due to the fact that the Icelandic diva admitted she received a hard time separating Selma out of her reality during shooting this film (many critics suspense sarcastically that’s the reason why she nailed the role so perfectly.)
Bjork received the award from Cannes Films Festival in 2000 for best actress, as well as the movie that also won the Palme d’Or award. She went on to receive nomination for Best Original Song (I’ve Seen It All) and surprised the red carpet that night with one of the most permanent dress that will go down in all red carpets history – the infamous swan dress.
“Dancer in the Dark” received remarkably mixed reviews from critics. This is not surprising as it happened during its world premiere in Cannes Film Festival; receiving both standing ovation and the walk-off. How could the melodrama break your heart? You’d better make the fairest judgment by seeing it, and suddenly you will realize how one movie can tear you into pieces.
If living is seeing
I'm holding my breath
In wonder, I wonder
what happens next
A new world, a new day to see...
To see...
( New World, Song from the motion picture “Dancer in the Dark,” lyrics by Bjork)
HOMESICKALIENN MOTHERFUCKA!!
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