The fertile mind of Lars von Trier has been remanufacturing the idylls of cinema for four decades. From developing the stylistic edict Dogme 95 with fellow director Thomas Vinterberg to winning numerous awards at Cannes and other festivals, von Trier has made a name for himself in being inexplicably unique – in both his career as a director, and as an outspoken critic of movie making itself.
In a new video essay by Channel Criswell, von Trier’s career and its idiosyncrasies are praised and broken down, explaining his philosophies and methodologies to better understand where the director comes from. Von Trier oftentimes resists characterization; instead of answering questions about life in his films, he pushes boundaries and forces the audience to ask them, like in “Melancholia,” where the fate of the characters is determined in the first shot. He believes that it’s good to have limitations (as inflicted in the Dogme movement and otherwise) and by eliminating certain techniques and instilling restrictions on himself, the director and the cast are forced to reach somewhere else for the emotional performances they need.
In “Dogville” there is almost no art direction, and this comes as a welcome challenge to von Trier himself (while directing) and the art form; in the truly heart-wrenching “Breaking the Waves” and “Dancer in the Dark,” von Trier takes a more humanistic approach and focuses on the protagonist’s hearts, though these human concepts are heightened to an almost metaphysical level. The reality may seem unnervingly bleak, and that’s because it’s one of von Trier’s own creation, a split between imagination and symbolism.
For any von Trier fan, this essay is an insightful and brilliant look at the auteur’s work, and only leaves you lingering for what he’s up to next.
