Dancer In The Dark

I watched Dancer In The Dark again last night. I hadn't seen it since it's theatrical release. It reminded me of why I think Lars von Trier is one of the most challenging, important and all around best film directors working today. In Dancer In The Dark, he takes any sense of innocence, naivete and nostalgia associated with the traditional Hollywood musical, smashes it into a thousand little shards, then drags our faces through the shards. It hurts, but we needed it. If art is part of a dialogue, and I'd like to think that it can be, then Dancer In The Dark is the final word about musicals. They're done.

As an aside, I love the following review from the film's official website's front page: "A 2 1/2 hour demo of auteurist self-importance that's artistically bankrupt on almost every level." Good stuff.