 Tagline: A Quiet Little Town Not Far From Here. Grace (Nicole Kidman) arrives in the isolated town of Dogville, on the run from gangsters. The townspeople agree to hide her. However, when outsiders start looking for the fugitive, the locals make demands of Grace in exchange for the risk of harboring her. But Grace has a secret and it is a dangerous one. Dogville may regret it ever decided to bare its teeth... "Challenging, dramatic, provocative." -- David Sterrit, CHristian Science Monitor "It really is a masterpiece--von Trier's first, as it happens." -- Glenn Kenny, Premiere "Mischievous, singular and profound." -- Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle "Intentionally designed to rile as much as entertain." -- Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald Storyline: Late one night, a beautiful and well-dressed young woman, Grace, arrives in the mountainous old mining town of Dogville as a fugitive; following the sound of gunshots in the distance which have been heard by Tom, the self-appointed moral spokesman for the town. Persuaded by Tom, the town agree to hide Grace, and in return she freely helps the locals. However, when the Sheriff from a neighbouring town posts a Missing notice, advertising a reward for revealing her whereabouts, the townsfolk require a better deal from Grace, in return for their silence; and when the Sheriff returns some weeks later with a Wanted poster, even though the citizens know her to be innocent of the false charges against her, the town's sense of goodness takes a sinister turn and the price of Grace's freedom becomes a workload and treatment akin to that of a slave. But Grace has a deadly secret that the townsfolk will eventually encounter. Written by Neil Hillman. User Comment: Chris Docker Edinburgh • Nicole Kidman plays Grace, an attractive young woman escaping from some gangsters. She ends up in Dogville, a small, 1930s hamlet in the Rocky Mountains, offering to do chores for the inhabitants in return for their hiding her. At first they refuse - quite arrogantly - saying they don't need anything; but the local writer/philosopher (Tom) intercedes, and she gratefully ends up doing something for everyone. The townspeople, however, develop a sense of how much they are risking by sheltering her and increase her tasks until they become oppressive and abusive. They piously proclaim ‘it is for her own good' as she undergoes increasing humiliation and trauma. Grace, however, harbours a terrible secret. Moral dilemmas of forgiveness, justice, tolerance, arrogance build through increasingly horrific scenarios, and culminate in a traumatic and disturbing ending. This movie is not an easy movie to watch – and, be warned, it lasts for three hours. The first half hour can seem tedious and affected. Some of the later scenes are exceedingly graphic and difficult to accept. It will surprise you, it may distress you, and it may cause you to ask questions about yourself. It looks at psychological mechanisms by which people expose their real natures without necessarily posing answers. It may make you walk out before the end (though hopefully you won't!) Grace is not only the name of the main character, but also the ‘state of grace' which descends on the unsuspecting town. This symbolism is strengthened by unusual cinematography - it is shot, for instance, on a relatively bare sound stage with markings for walls, bushes and the dog. This avant-garde theatrical style is unnerving to the viewer at first, but after half an hour or so one just absorbs it and becomes unaware of it, the way one does, say, with subtitles. Dogville, indicated almost entirely by chalk lines, soon feels real and solid. Whether it is justified relies on how much you buy into the mythology being ingeniously created and depicted (though my opinion is that this is one of those rare cases where revolutionary technique has been completely and holistically justified). As the plot develops we see the emotional isolation of Grace whilst those in nearby houses turn a blind eye. We become increasingly aware of moral dilemmas, the self-justification of the townspeople, Grace's accepting and uncomplaining nature, and the implications of these dynamics in our own world. The movie has a strong (though not explicit) comment on attitudes shaped by New Testament fundamentalism, of 'turning the other cheek' and of Old Testament 'eye for an eye' philosophies, but the bigger puzzle put to us is how valid these are and how far they can be taken. There is also a more overt comment on political policy, and many people from the United States have taken offence at the perceived allusion to American foreign and domestic policy. Dogville is gut wrenching in a way that stays with us long after we leave the cinema. It is a movie for serious filmgoers rather than someone wanting easily-digestible entertainment. In its own way, the film is a monumental achievement, for its innovative techniques, its effectiveness and impact on its audience, and its implications on the world we live in. It is the most mature and arresting work made by Danish Dogme founder Lars von Trier and a modern masterpiece (if also a readily misunderstood one). When it was first released in America, it was vilified by Variety magazine as anti-American. The controversy arises over the end credits, images unexpectedly overlaid, Bowie's song ‘Young Americans', and implications that seem suddenly a little too close for comfort. Yet in the director's words, `If there is a moral it is that good and evil exists in everybody and circumstances can bring it out.' Political comment, satire, religious metaphor, an expose of psychological forces within each of us, a feminist diatribe, or pure cinematic art? Dogville is probably all of these. Or is it just pretentious twaddle? Critics worldwide have been divided and will continue to be divided on Dogville, but its place in cinema history seems assured, as does its place in the annals of Kidman's greatest works. (Note: I have tried to write this mini-review in a way that does not include spoilers.) Summary: Dogged by unfair criticism IMDb Rating (02/11/17): 8.1/10 from 111,333 users
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