Strong and Moving!

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

There's a few redeeming factors in this movie, mainly Bjork's musical numbers, although they can't seem to make up for the rest of the film. Lars Von Trier attempts to have poorly shot scenes to make some sort of artistic statement, regardless of if that statement means anything to you or not, you're still watching a poorly shot film. Bjork's musical talent simply does not do enough to carry almost two and a half hours of cinematic misery. This goes beyond simply being a sad story or a film that is difficult to watch, there's simply nothing engaging. I'm glad people something in Dancer and Lars Von Trier's other work, but I can't seem to find this film to be anything other than pretentious.

In the beginning I thought she was funny, clumsy and even a bit stupid. Later on, after 10 minutes of Björk's voice, I realized how much I was falling in love with her character. Selma Jezkova is probably the most moving character I've ever seen in film. Pure, innocent and simple.Björk's interpretation is just perfect, the atmosphere in the film -with infinite tones of brown, golden yellow and faded green- adds to her dusty, deep voice. Every other character in the movie seems to pledge to underline her authenticity.This is one of the greatest movies I've ever seen.

This is a very unique film on many levels. It is a musical, but certainly not your typical musical. It is by far, the absolute most depressing film I have ever seen, and I actually generally enjoy depressing films, this one definitely took the cake for me. The songs are joyous up until the very end, and the performance by Bjork is beyond outstanding, she absolutely should have won the Oscar that year for her song, and I maintain she should have been nominated for best actress, she would have kicked Julia Roberts butt in the lead actress category. It is a shame Bjork will never act again, but after this movie, I wouldn't act again either. I hated everyone in this movie so much except for Bjork, her son, and her friend at work. Everyone else was condemnable, and it was beyond me when the final 1/3 of the film unfolds, it was already a very depressing film, and the final third officially made it the most depressing film, without any sort of hope at all, period. It is true, that somehow there is joy in her mind which plays out in the songs in her head, which we see on screen, just as we have throughout the film, but this is far and away the best film to watch if you need a reminder of why your life is not that bad. Even though I will never watch this again, I still think it is worth watching once, if only for Bjork's performance and the wonderful songs and performances of them. The film is well-done and the acting is good all around, the camera work is nice, the songs are great, and the film has a very gritty quality to it. I did love the tenacity of the main character, even though things are so dire, and they are not looking any better. A movie that is hard to recommend, but worth watching, if you can stomach films that are depressing beyond anything you have probably seen before, the only other film I felt comes close is "Requiem for a Dream" in terms of depression.God Bless ~Amy

Dancer in the Dark (2000): Dir: Lars Von Triers / Cast: Bjork, David Morse, Catherine Deneuve, Peter Stormare, Joel Grey: Disturbing yet brilliant film about endurance through tragedy or one's venture into uncertainty. Ultimately it deals with a woman threatened with blindness but her love for Hollywood musicals keeps her going. Pop diva Bjork stars as a single mother who works at a press factory and she has been stashing money away for an operation to prevent her from losing his sight. Her landlord is a cop who is having financial difficulties and steals her money. She confronts him but he forces her to kill him thus leading to a disturbing battle in court. Hardly pleasant but director Lars Von Triers brilliantly uses musicals to express emotion. Bjork delivers a powerful performance full of emotion as she goes through unfortunate lengths for the good of her son. David Morse is excellent as her landlord whose financial greed leads to his only real regard. Catherine Deneuve plays Bjork's friend from the factory who races to ensure that Bjork receives positive news with regards to her son's operation. Peter Stormare is another friend who supports her in this dire state. Joel Grey also appears, which is a staple for musicals, and seems to support what Bjork represents in her passion for musicals. Theme regards injustice and freedom as her mind takes flight in the joyous presence of song. Score: 8 / 10