A Complete Review of Lars von Trier's work

Cast : Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurman, Riley Keough, Jeremy Davies

What was it about?
The story follows Jack, a highly intelligent serial killer, over the course of twelve years, and depicts the murders that really develop his inner madman.

My two cents:
Since Lars von Trier had decided to make a serial killer flick, I was expecting something seriously hardcore, especially after the critics described it as being really violent, but, to be honest, I thought the violence was pretty mild. Sure, there was a dozen of kills and even a mutilated duckling but I have seen much worse in this genre and even more so from this director. Another very welcome surprise was that the damned thing was sometimes actually quite funny. I also enjoyed the fact that he pretty much dismantled the whole myth around serial killers. Indeed, even though Jack was supposed to be terribly smart, he constantly made some mistakes, left some huge clues, didn't care if there were some witness or not and he even admitted that he got lucky on various occasions. Eventually, the only issue I really had was that the running time was just too long. Indeed, the pacing for the 1st incident involving Uma Thurman was fine but everything else afterwards could and probably should have been handled somehow more quickly. For example, during the 2nd incicent, Jack had to talk on the front door with his next victim and it seemed to take forever before he finally got in. Anyway, even though it won't go down as one of von Trier's best movies, I thought it was still a decent watch.

My rating: 07/10

Check the full review

Cast : Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Shia LaBeouf, Christian Slater, Jamie Bell, Uma Thurman , Willem Dafoe, Jean-Marc Barr, Udo Kier

What was it about?
The continuation of Joe's sexually dictated life delves into the darker aspects of her adulthood, obsessions and what led to her being in Seligman's care.

My two cents:
Well, the whole thing was pretty hardcore, that’s for sure, in fact, Lars von Trier managed to make it even more hardcore than the first volume, something I didn’t think was really possible. Indeed, this time, he decided to add SM in the mix which was somehow in fact rather unexpected. I have to say that I was slightly worried because for a good chunk of the movie, the main character apparently lost her sexual feeling which seemed rather pointless since we were dealing here with a nymphomaniac. But, eventually, so many crazy things happened during this dark 3 hours long roller-coaster and, to be honest, it was sometimes pretty random but it was always rather mesmerizing to watch. Eventually, the masterstroke was, just as with the previous installment, the long conversation between Joe and Seligman and how their relationship eventually ended in this movie was just spot-on and really priceless. Eventually, even though the whole thing was really dark and gloomy, it was still an interesting watch but you should be fully aware of its content before checking it out.

My rating: 07/10

Check the full review

Cast : Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Shia LaBeouf, Christian Slater, Uma Thurman, Connie Nielsen

What was it about?
A self-diagnosed nymphomaniac recounts her erotic experiences to the man who saved her after a beating.

My two cents:
First of all, I have to point out that, even though I managed to find a UK double DVD with the director's cut for a decent prize, to my disappointment, for some reasons, they didn’t provide any subtitles. I mean, I'm completely fluent in English but it is still not my mother tongue so I'm afraid I did miss some bits here and there. Obviously, you might argue that this movie was probably not about the dialogues but you would be wrong. Indeed, at least a third was about her actions and the rest was all about her narration and her fascinating conversation with Stellan Skarsgård. Of course, as usual with this director, the whole thing was really dark and gloomy but I was this time quite able to connect with this material, even if it was indeed seriously messed-up. At least, you have to give the guy some credit as who else would dare or even be allowed to make something so transgressive? To conclude, it was obviously another really difficult movie from the Danish master but there was definitely something quite fascinating about the whole thing.

My rating: 07/10

Check the full review

Cast : Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alexander Skarsgård, Brady Corbet, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier, Kiefer Sutherland

What was it about?
By now, I have seen all the movies directed by von Trier and, even though I have the highest respect for his work and I think he is truly an artist, I have to confess, I’m not a huge fan and this movie was a perfect example explaining why. I mean, first of all, it was gorgeous to look at, probably the most beautiful movie he made so far. Then, it was a really intriguing take on the doomsday concept, something really different than what we got from such movies like ‘Armageddon’ or ‘Deep Impact’. Still, I can’t say I really loved the damned thing though. I mean, I did enjoy and relate to his vision of how a big wedding can be daunting and dreary, even though as usual, he pushed it even further but I didn’t really get the connection with the impending apocalypse. Furthermore, even though Kirsten Dunst gave a fearless performance, probably the best of her career so far, her character slowly but surely got on my nerves. I mean, was she depressed? Psychotic? Difficult to say… Eventually, as usual with von Trier, the whole thing had some terrible dreariness and sorrow and I don’t think I will ever have a ‘good’ time watching one of his movies. Anyway, even though I wasn’t really blown away by the whole thing, there was definitely something quite mesmerizing about this flick.

My two cents:

My rating: 07/10

Check the full review

Cast : Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg

What was it about?
A grieving couple retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage, but nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse.

My two cents:
As expected, it turned out to be a really tough watch and it will probably haunt me for some time, that’s for sure. And, that’s the whole thing with Lars von Trier. Indeed, while most movies are made to entertain, he deliberately chooses to make movies that will make you feel terrible, while you are watching them and also afterwards. So, even though I admire the fact that he is an artist, completely going a different way than the rest of his colleagues, I believe that this approach is really antagonizing towards his audience. For example, let's take the prologue. It is indeed a gorgeous scene, visually quite stunning, but also a big excuse supposed to explain why the characters and the the viewers will experience all the terrible things that will come after. I mean, right from the start, he, without any mercy, thoroughly punishes these 2 characters : not only they turned off the sound of the baby phone, but they left the gate open, the window open, they didn't hear their baby at all, and of course, they were having some wild sex when this tragedy took place. All this shows that he didn’t care much for them. After that, he put them through some massive psychological torture and, at some point, the torture becomes even physical resulting in a total nightmare. I won't even start about how misogynistic the whole thing was. And yet, the directing was pretty impressive and the two actors involved gave some really strong performances as well.

My rating: 06/10

Check the full review

Cast : Jean-Marc Barr, Iben Hjejle

What was it about?
An IT company hires an actor to serve as the company's president in order to help the business get sold to a cranky Icelander.

My two cents:
The movies I enjoyed the most from Lars von Trier were ‘Dogville’ and ‘Manderlay’ and I was really disappointed that he didn’t finish his trilogy with the planned ‘Wasington’ which was unfortunately cancelled. Instead, von Trier decided to make this movie which was something completely different but, I must admit it, I thought it was in fact pretty good. I actually saw it with my wife, she had no clue what the hell was going on and she thought it was really terrible but I really liked the damned thing. Basically, it was a really weird and absurd comedy, some kind of come-back to the Dogme 95 for this director. Even though half of it didn’t make much sense, since it was shot Dogme-style, it was still quite realistic and you could assume that such situation could actually occur for real. However, the mix between realism and surrealism, while enjoyable and fairly entertaining, made it rather difficult to take the whole thing really seriously. On top of that, the director made it quite clear that it didn’t take this tale seriously at all (especially with his own narration) and even though it was quite refreshing after all the dark dramas he made, as a result, I didn't take the whole thing really seriously either. Anyway, even though it is probably one of the most obscure movies delivered by the Danish master and a minor feature for him, I really enjoyed it.

My rating: 07/10

Check the full review

Cast : Bryce Dallas Howard, Isaach De Bankolé, Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, Lauren Bacall, Jean-Marc Barr, Jeremy Davies

What was it about?
After finding a hiding place in Alabama, spoiled, naive Grace refuses to travel on after seeing the Manderlay cotton plantation being run under slavery rules. However, her ignorance in Southern planting and general culture means that more problems are created then solved.

My two cents:
I really loved 'Dogville' which turned out to be much better than I expected it to be so I was really eager to check this sequel. Eventually, I must admit that even though this second movie was not as great as its predecessor, it was still very good. Once again, von Trier came up with a story which was just fascinating was just and his directing was once again quite impressive. I have to admit that it was too bad that Nicole Kidman didn't show up for this sequel (I guess that working for von Trier turned out to slightly more challenging than she expected) but, fortunately, Bryce Dallas Howard was convincing enough. Eventually, even though this movie was supposed to be followed by a 3rd instalment supposed to be called ‘Wasington’, it was unfortunately cancelled either because this sequel was deemed not successful enough or simply because the Danish master was already done with this concept. Anyway, I really enjoyed this movie even if it is usually considered a flop.

My rating: 08/10

Check the full review

It was actually directed by Thomas Vinterberg, Lars von Trier wrote the screenplay.

The main reason I wanted to watch this movie was in fact mostly because it was directed by Thomas Vinterberg. First of all, even though 'Festen' had been a huge critical success, his next directing effort,‘It’s All About Love’, had been completely destroyed by the critics. Well, even though this follow-up was not as good as 'Festen' and did also receive some mixed reviews, I thought it was still pretty interesting though. Indeed, not only was it directed by Thomas Vinterberg, it was also written by Lars von Trier and, together, they made a rather weird movie about weapons in the USA. Unfortunately, the movie didn't really give any conclusion or clear view on the subject and, as a a result, it was a little bit too cryptic for me and it made the whole thing rather frustrating to behold. Anyway, even though it didn’t really win me over, it was still a decent watch though.

Cast : Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Jean-Marc Barr, Paul Bettany, James Caan, Patricia Clarkson, Jeremy Davies, Ben Gazzara, Philip Baker Hall, John Hurt

What was it about?
A woman on the run from the mob is reluctantly accepted in a small Colorado town. In exchange, she agrees to work for them. As a search visits the town, she finds out that their support has a price. Yet her dangerous secret is never far away.

My two cents:
I’m not sure if it is really considered as one of Von Trier’s best movies. In fact, I'm not sure this movie has actually a decent reputation and,in fact, while I was making this list, I noticed that Roger Ebert really didn’t like this movie at all. Well, as far as I’m concerned, I thought the damned thing was actually quite amazing. Indeed, in my opinion, it was a very original movie, a very fascinating one and I was completely captivated by the story. The acting, the directing and even the set dressing (you know what I mean if you have seen it) were also really strong. To be honest, it is not the kind of project I would expect to see Nicole Kidman getting involved in but she definitely displayed some balls to join Lars von Trier's messed up movie world and her performance was rather fearless. Unfortunately, this experience was maybe not so enjoyable for her after all since she didn’t show up for the sequel ‘Manderlay’. Anyway, I thought it was a great movie and it is, so far, my favourite feature directed by Lars von Trier.

My rating: 09/10

Check the full review

Cast : Björk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare, Jean-Marc Barr, Udo Kier

What was it about?
An east European girl goes to America with her young son, expecting it to be like a Hollywood film.

My two cents:
To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this flick and I should definitely re-watch it at some point. In fact, I even saw it the movie theater when it was released. As I mentionned already many times in this list, I usually have a hard time to connect with von Trier's movies and this feature was a perfect example. Indeed, pretty much like with ‘Breaking the Waves’, the directing was pretty good, the acting was fine as well but everything was just relentlessly bleak and I’m not surprised that some people called it the most depressing movie ever made. I mean, I don’t mind if a movie is dark and incredibly sad but, with von Trier, it feels sometimes like a gimmick, pretty much like David Lynch with his mind-f*ck gimmick, and, as a result, after seeing this gimmick again and again, it is rather difficult for me to take it really seriously. Anyway, even though I didn’t really connect with this movie, I still think it is worth a look.

My rating: 06/10

Check the full review

Cast : Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Paprika Steen

What was it about?
A group of perfectly intelligent young people decide to react to society's cult of aimless, non-creative and non-responsible form intellect by living together in a community of "idiots". Their main activity becomes going out into the world of "normal" people and pretending to be mentally retarded.

My two cents:
Back then, there was a lot of hype surrounding the Dogme and this was the second movie featuring those rules. I was personally completely blown away by 'Festen' directed by Thomas Vinterberg which was the first movie featuring the Dogme rules so I was really eager to watch this second movie. Eventually, to be honest, I ended up with some mixed feelings. Indeed, the main issue here is that the whole thing seemed actually rather pointless to me. I mean, why do they in fact choose this way of life? Basically, you have a bunch of elitists who decided to act as mentally retarded people, that's it and the only reason I could come up with is that thanks to them Lars Von Trier could make this movie, that's all. Sure, I understand it worked as a critic towards our modern society but I still think it was far-fetched to believe that a group of people would choose to live like this. But even though it was flawed, I thought this flick was still really interesting. Indeed, as usual, this director was manipulating the viewer and he managed to make this flick still rather fascinating.

My rating: 07/10

Check the full review

Cast : Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr, Udo Kier

What was it about?
Oilman Jan is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when Jan urges her to have sex with another.

My two cents:
I’m pretty sure it was the first movie directed by von Trier which I have seen but, to be honest, I didn’t like it much. Indeed, when it was released, it was universally heralded so I had some pretty huge expectations but I thought it was rather disappointing. I mean, it is not that it was a bad movie, far from it. Indeed, I really enjoyed Lars von Trier’s directing and I could see why this movie was so loved. Furthermore, I have to admit, Emily Watson was absolutely brilliant in this. Indeed, her performance was really impressive, one of the best acting debut ever, and it is a real shame that she is so criminally underrated nowadays. Still, I didn’t really connect with this flick. Indeed, the tone was really really grim and gloomy (a trademark in Lars von Trier’s work) and I had a hard time to get into this story about this seemingly innocent woman being terribly mistreated by this *sshole. Above all, I really didn’t like by this ending with those bells in the sky… As a matter of fact, I even despised this ending, seriously. I don’t know, I’m not a religious man and I thought it was just an awful way to conclude all the unpleasant things that happen during this flick. Still, I might give it a 2nd chance one day since it is a very well regarded feature.

My rating: 06/10

Check the full review

Cast : Jean-Marc Barr, Udo Kier, Eddie Constantine, Max von Sydow, Lars von Trier

What was it about?
Just after W.W.II, an American takes a railway job in Germany, but finds his position politically sensitive with various people trying to use him.

My two cents:
Like the other movies directed by Lars von Trier, as usual, I had a rather hard time to connect with it as the narrative structure was really obscure which made for a quite mesmerizing but also rather frustrating viewing. Basically, what did he try to achieve with this tale? Difficult to say… Personally, I thought that Katharina Hartmann might represent Germany, a beautiful attractive woman haunted and wounded by her past who‘s not able to move forward. Leopold Kessler would then represent the USA, a young and cute but rather clueless and naïve young man, who tries to fix things up but has actually no clue about what’s actually going on. Of course, those are just theories and I had seriously no idea what von Trier tried to achieve and, sometimes, you just have the feeling he wants to mess up with the audience, something he always do with all his movies. At least, this movie had a very interesting visual style, mostly in black and white, but sometimes with some colors here and there and he also mixed some different camera shots and techniques, creating a rather impressive visual collage. Unfortunately, even though I admired this feature, I can’t say I was really blown away. It was a little too osbcure for my taste and I really hard a hard time to care for the main character who was basically a spineless clueless wimp. Anyway, even though I wasn’t really convinced, it remains an intriguing movie.

My rating: 07/10

Check the full review

Cast : Lars von Trier, Udo Kier

What was it about?
A director and screenwriter pen a script and, in the process, blur the line between fiction and reality.

My two cents:
Aesthetically, von Trier kept the same monochrome approach he used in his previous movies, except that this time he went for a classic black-and-white. To make it look even more experimental, they also added at some point the title of the movie on the top left corner and it remained there until the very end but, to be honest, I thought it was rather distracting. Concerning the rest of the movie, well, it would be pretty much the most meta movie delivered by von Trier, at least, so far. Indeed, instead of making a classic outbreak thriller, he made a movie about a director writing a movie about an epidemy and he played the director himself. He even played the character within the actual movie supposedly about this epidemy. It’s interesting that, after playing this lead, von Trier would never play again (at least, only some very small parts). Aside from that, as usual with this director, it was pretty dark and bleak but there was also a playfulness very rare coming from this guy and it was very much welcome. It was also seriously random though which made the whole thing unpredictable but also rather messy. Finally, von Trier apparently couldn’t help throwing a rather cringe-inducing pitch-black ending with some non-stop screaming woman. Anyway, even though it didn’t completely work, I thought it was quite original though.

My rating: 07/10

Check the full review

Cast : Lars von Trier

What was it about?
A cop in a dystopian Europe investigates a serial killings suspect using controversial methods written by his now disgraced former mentor.

My two cents:
Well, as usual with this director, it wasn’t really an easy watch but, at least, there was some kind of a plot. Still, the plot was obviously hardly the biggest concern of von Trier who delivered one of the most surrealist thrillers I have ever seen. Back then, the Danish master had a very specific visual style consisting of combining black with one single colour (in this case, yellow) which increased the already surreal aspect of this movie. Still, to be be honest, some scenes were slightly too dark for me and I did struggle sometimes to see what the hell was going on. However, in my opinion, the weakest thing from Lars von Trier’s work has always been his lack of ability to provide some really compelling characters though. Of course, you could argue that, at this point in his career, he couldn’t get the best actors available but I don’t think this cast of unknown actors (at least, unknown to me) was bad at all. Eventually, it will be actually one of the most difficult thing to swallow about von Trier’s through his whole career, the disdain he always displays towards his characters. Anyway, it was still a decent watch though.

My rating: 07/10

Check the full review

What was it about?
A German officer visits his Danish mistress the days after the occupation of Denmark has ended.

My two cents:
At some point, I bought a DVD-box with the E-trilogy from the Lars von Trier and I discovered that this movie was included as an Easter Egg so I was quite eager to check it out. Apparently, it was von Trier's graduation movie from the Danish film academy. Well, right from the start, it was pretty obvious von Trier wouldn't make any compromise and he would only deliver some fairly complicated movies. In this case, it did really feel like a student movie though as it was quite original, artistic but also fairly pretentious. Visually, it was quite interesting as it was shot or displayed in black in combination with only one color (first, red, then, yellow and finally green) but, to be honest, sometimes, it made the whole thing almost unwatcheable. Concerning the story itself, well, it was even more difficult to digest as there was not one single line of dialogue but only some really cryptic riddles. Seriously, except that it was taking place in Denmark after the end of WWII and that it was involving some German soldier, I don't think I did understand or follow anything else going on during this movie. Still, in spite of its flaws, I think it is worth a look though if only to see where to see where it all started for Lars von Trier.

My rating: 06/10

Check the full review