The Idiots (Idioterne)

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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 whol... read more

Always one for controversy, Lars Von Trier's The Idiots is no exception.
Filmed in the Dogme 95 style, the handheld camera, dodgy sound and mis-matched cuts are at first a distraction, yet once the storyline draws you in they become almost unnoticeable.

The film follows a group of young adults, who routinely "spazz out" in public in order to indulge their "inner idiot". The s... read more

Description: A seemingly "anti-bourgeois" group of adults spend their time seeking their "inner idiot" to release their inhibitions. They do so by behaving in public as if they were developmentally disabled. At a restaurant, patrons are disturbed by the group's mischief, but single diner Karen (Bodil Jorgensen) develops an appreciation of their antics. The members of the group refer to this behaviour as "spassing", a neologism derived from "spasser", the Danish equivalent of "spaz", which has the same connotations in Denmark as in English-speaking countries. (The Idiots is not concerned wi A seemingly "anti-bourgeois" group of adults spend their time seeking their "inner idiot" to release their inhibitions. They do so by behaving in public as if they were developmentally disabled.

At a restaurant, patrons are disturbed by the group's mischief, but single diner Karen (Bodil Jorgensen) develops an appreciation of their antics. The members of the group refer to this behaviour as "spassing", a neologism derived from "spasser", the Danish equivalent of "spaz", which has the same connotations in Denmark as in English-speaking countries. (The Idiots is not concerned with actual disability, or with distinguishing between mental retardation and physical impairment.) Karen takes a ride in a taxi cab with the people from the restaurant, and she finds herself at a big house. The apparent leader of the group, Stoffer (Jens Albinus), is supposed to be selling the house, which belongs to his uncle, but instead it becomes the focal point for group activities.

The "spassing" is a self-defeating attempt by the group to challenge the establishment through provocation. The self-styled idiots feel that the society-at-large treats their intelligence uncreatively and unchallengingly; thus, they seek the uninhibited self-expression that they imagine a romantic ideal of disability will allow.

Stoffer, at his birthday party, wishes for a "gangbang," and both clothes and inhibitions are soon discarded. But when Stoffer calls for the group members to let idiocy invade their personal daily lives, only Karen takes up the challenge. She takes Susanne (Anne Louise Hassing) back to her house, where they are greeted by surprise by Karen's mother. Karen had been missing for two weeks, following the death of her young baby; she offers no explanation of where she has been. Karen attempts to spass in front of her family by dribbling the food she is eating, but this results in a violent slap from her husband, Anders. Karen and Susanne leave the house. ... (more) (less)

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