In her first and most probably last screen performance (she has foresworn acting after her bruising on-set rows with von Trier), brittle Icelandic chanteuse Björk plays Selma, a Czech immigrant living in a folksy American small town with her young son, Gene. Selma is going blind and so will Gene if she does not arrange an important operation for him. To cover the expense, Selma works every hour she can, cheating on her eye tests so she can keep working at the local factory long after her vision has become too unreliable to work safely. She sublets a house from a local cop, Bill (David Morse), and his wife, Linda (Cara Seymour). When nearly bankrupt Bill asks Selma for a loan, she refuses, but he later returns and steals the money, which she demands back in a furious confrontation. In the ensuing melee, Bill is fatally shot and Selma is arrested and put on trial. Will justice prevail?

Von Trier's passionate, provocative film runs all our emotional resources dry with suspense, giving us occasional flashes into Selma's gold heart and mind with superb song-and-dance numbers she conjures to banish the nightmare (Björk also wrote the score). At some two-and-a-half hours, it's not for lightweights, but anyone bored with today's smug, "ironic" cinema will relish this as an astonishing assault on the senses and a stark reminder of von Trier's uncompromising talent. --Damon Wise

The movie doesn't know if it is a documentary, drama or musical, but somehow it pulls off being all three. The story is that of a Czech immigrant who works and exists only to pay for a surgery to correct in her son a genetic disease that will eventually render him blind. The acting in the entire film is flawless and it is cast perfectly. The camera angles and visuals were stunning and the soundtrack (by Bjork) is enchanting.

I must disagree with other reviewers on a couple of points. The first being that this is a "predictable story" of a character "too weak-willed to defend herself from the forces of 'darkness' enveloping her miserable life". The will of Selma is incredible. Out of guilt from bringing her son into the world, knowing he will inherit the same blinding disease she has, and pure love Selma dedicates her life to saving money to pay for the surgery. She sacrifices everything save occasional viewings of musicals which provide her the sanity she needs to continue. Even when put to the ultimate test- death- she continues. The second point is that there are no happy scenes. Completely false. The sheer beauty of Selma's mission and the musicals she produces in her head define love and happiness respectively. The end of the movie (I won't spoil it for you) is sad but at the same time happy in that Bjork has found her piece after being wronged in so many ways.

The first 20 minutes are painfuly slow, but everything comes together. Wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but if you are a fan of "art" films or Indies, definately watch it.


Disturbing as hell, but incredible film   May 25, 2005
C. Copeland (Springfield, MO USA)
37 out of 41 found this review helpful

Genre: Drama, Musical

Genre Grade: A+

Final Grade: A+

This is possibly the most depressing movie I've ever seen. It rips you apart over and over again, without any hint of a happy ending. It's about as far from cliche Hollywood as can be, something Lars von Trier is known for. Bjork is an incredible, wonderful actress and I'd love to see her in a happier role, but she has sworn she will never be in another movie because of the emotional difficulties caused from her role in this film.

I am warning you, this movie will madden you, sadden you, and depress the hell out of you. I recommend it to audiences who appreciate art films. It is a musical (great way of challenging the sadness of the film), but mostly it is just a drama about losing everything you could possibly lose for the sake of love and compassion.


A Triumph   September 20, 2000
Attilla The Honey (Laramie, WY United States)
32 out of 36 found this review helpful

"Dancer In The Dark" is the stunning film by Lars von Trier that won this year's Cannes Film Festival and stars Icelandic alterna-pop queen Bjork in her film debut. Set in 1964, Bjork plays a woman from Czechoslovakia named Selma who imagines that she is inside of a Hollywood Musical. This musical is not a happy perfect-world musical as so many others are, but packs a stinging bite and a Sondheim-esque dark side. Early on, the conflicts start piling up: Selma's son will go blind if she can't afford to pay for an operation, and her next door neighbor stals all the money she's been trying to save. Then, she is yanked from an small production of "The Sound Of Music" when she is faced with murder charges, and she winds up in prison.

As Selma's life gets worse and worse, she retreats farther and farther into her musical-comedy daydreams. She imagines that a celebrity is her father and she's not poor; she imagines herself dancing with the man she's accused of killing. Although Bjork's acting is superb, she has said that she does not want to act again. She said she wants to be a "person of the ears", not a "person of the images".

The soundtrack to this film is also done by Bjork. Although the soundtrack its self is rather short (clocking in at a scant 33 minutes), it's lack of duration is made up for in abundance by it's beauty, passion, and intensity. The songs are a strange mix of lush orchestral work and heavy industrial beats. Although it sounds like a strange combination, it is a perfect blend for this film.

As a lover of musical theatre, especially motion picture musicals, it is so refreshing to see a new musical being premiered on the screen that isn't trying to live up to it's own tired broadway run. I mean really, other than "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" or "Evita", when was the last really great film musical made? "Annie" back in 1982? "Dancer In The Dark" brings a breath of life to this dying genre. I hope it will not be long bfore we as audiences are able to see many more new musicals hitting the silver screen.


The best movie. Period.   February 3, 2001
InYourFaceNewYorker (Brooklyn, NY)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

I stumbled upon this film by accident back in September when I was calling Moviefone. I had no idea what movie I wanted to see; I just wanted to get out for the night. One of the listed titles was "Dancer in the Dark." The title sounded interesting, so I asked for a plot synopsis. The synopsis sounded interesting, so my roommate and I took the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan to see the film. I went expecting to be moderately entertained and interested. I came out of this movie in complete silence-- I was that amazed by it. I almost cried at the end, and I never cry at movies. The character Bjork plays is down to earth, smart, and believable. She was a strong woman in the face of adversity. I'm sure that if this were a mainstream film, Selma would not be played by Bjork, but by some bimbo sexpot, just so they could get a huge audience for this film... Anyway, the music was amazing. This is not your typical musical, and the music even explores the deep realms of the human mind, and sometimes provides some levity and hopefulness in the face of the odds which are obviously against the character Selma. I get chills down my spine when I hear the song "107 Steps." Questions that are raised by the film: How far would you go for someone you love? How just is the American judicial system? I saw "Dancer in the Dark" for the second time last night, and I had the same reaction as before, if not more intense. My best friend came all the way to NYC from Philly just to see it with me, as it cannot be found anywhere else. She said it was worth the 2 hour trip, and I cannot agree more. Don't wait for it to come on video-- even if you have to travel a couple hours. It's like seeing a Broadway show in that it's an intense experience that cannot be duplicated on the TV in your living room. My question: Why can't more movies be like this? The minds that came up with it were incredible.


A complex & devastating work of art   June 15, 2002
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

There is so much pain going on in "Dancer in the Dark," it's almost impossible to begin to explain. But one thing that I can say is that it was one of the most original and nostalgic (in its fallback on being a musical) and devastating movies I've ever seen. Believe me, only the truly perceptive and seeking filmgoers will understand and appreciate the film's message.

However, one thing that was a little distracting (yet, also, I think it added to the rawness of film and its subject matter) was the shaky camera work close-ups. At times, you'll want to spring for the bottle of asprin to overcome an oncoming headache via watching the film, but restrain. Just finish the movie. If the headache is still there, then you've experienced "Dancer in the Dark."

The last 10 minutes of this movie is probably the most riveting, suspenseful and adrenaline-pumping movie sequence I've ever seen. Bjork's voice, facial expressions and inner emotion bleed through her body in a way that is both unsettling and undeniably powerful.

I must say that I'm no Bjork music fan, but the songs in the film did touch me. They were so radical, so inventive, so simple and bizarre, if you will, that it's almost impossible to not simply appreciate them for being so outlandish. But nonetheless, the movie is really about suffering.

You can draw many symbolisms to Selma's (Bjork) lonely, simple and heartbreaking character, one being almost christological. (that may be a stretch, but it's valid if you look closely at the film, what Selma's purpose was and how she was "wrongly" accused in a sense and then attempted to be put to death) Either way though, it still is a pretty amazing movie. I can't believe I wrote this much. Movies that make me want to write this much about them are truly unique. "Dancer in the Dark" is one of the precious few. Devastatingly powerful and unflinchingly raw. See it. (all of it)