10 Essential Lars Von Trier Films You Need

To Watch
02 MAY 2014 FEATURES, FILM LISTS BY SOPHIE LEGG

Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier is one of world cinemas most daring and polarizing
filmmaker working today. The self-proclaimed enfant terrible is a provocateur both behind
the camera, as a writer and director who incites audiences and critics with his controversial
brand of cinema and in front of the camera, where his public persona stirs up journalists
in his many interviews and press conferences.
Von Trier cites many cinematic greats as his mentors, including Carl Theodore Dryer,
Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky as thematic and stylistic inspirations for his own
films. Many of von Triers films explore dark and controversial themes; theology, sex,
suffering, gender politics, death, nihilism, love and revenge, which has led him to be seen
as one of the 21st centurys most divisive filmmakers.
The master of cynical endings, von Triers films must be watched with an open mind and a
grain of nihilism. Von Trier has famously said that film should be like a stone in your shoe
it should make you uncomfortable and make you think. Love him or hate him, von Trier is
an innovative and daring film auteur who challenges his audience emotionally,
psychologically and artistically.
Of course, if youre a serious aficionado of art films, you will probably already be familiar
with von Trier and his work, but for all the uninformed who want to learn more, here are The
10 Essential Lars von Trier Films You Need To Watch.

10. Nymphomaniac (2013)

Nymphomaniac is the ambitious, latest two-part magnum opus from Lars von Trier. The film
uses the physical, psychological and philosophical aspects of sex and sexuality as a
framework to explore the larger meanings behind life and the quest for human fulfillment.
A middle-aged woman named Joe (Stacy Martin/Charlotte Gainsbourg) is discovered
bloodied and unconscious in a dark alley by Seligman (Stellan Skarsgrd). He takes her
back to his house to recuperate and over the course of both films Joe recounts to him the
many experiences of her self-proclaimed sinful life from early childhood to the present.
For Joe, sex and love are two completely separate entities. Joe is very animalistic in her
need to quench her sexual appetite, without letting her emotions hinder her pursuit of
pleasure. Amidst all her shame and guilt that society has placed upon her for her sexually
deviant behaviors, she finds redemption as a woman, and is now determined to stand up
against all odds, muster all her stubbornness, strength and masculine aggression to rid
herself of her sexuality.
Von Trier is a master at tackling taboo subjects in his films. Despite the amount of nudity
and on-screen (un-simulated) sex, the film never feels erotic or titillating; rather, it is very
philosophical in its approach to love, sex and relationships. It deeply explores the
interconnected role of human emotions and sexual desires.

9. The Boss of It All (2006)

Lars von Triers experimental black comedy The Boss of it All is the directors only attempt
at the comedic genre. The film follows Ravn (Peter Gantzler) the owner of a Danish IT firm
who creates a fictional company president for his disgruntled employees to answer to. All
seems to be going well until a prospective buyer for the firm demands to see the boss in
person. In a crazily devised scheme, Ravn hires failed actor, Kristoffer (Jens Albinus), to
impersonate the fictional boss leading to many embarrassing situations and
misunderstandings.
The humor comes from watching fish out of water Kristoffer attempting to interact with
employees and attend to business mergers with no experience, while trying to maintain his
cover. This film is a satire of multinational companies, power dichotomies and the
relationships of bosses and employees and in a parallel directors and actors.
The Boss of it All uses a camera apparatus called Automavision a computer-operated
camera that selects shots at random designed to limit human influence over filmmaking.
This often results in shots being strangely framed but is refreshing to watch. In this rare
case, von Trier submits control of his film to an automated camera while still commanding
control over his actors; he is the ultimate boss of it all.

8. The Idiots (1998)

The Idiots follows a group of men and women who abandon their jobs and everyday lives to
live together and act as mentally disabled people in public (or idiots as the title suggests)
in order to subvert existing social norms and shock the bourgeoisie. When protagonist
Karen (Bodil Jrgensen) is confronted by their spazzing behavior at a restaurant she is
intrigued and decides to follow them. It is only at the end of the film we learn the dark and
tragic truth about her painful situation that has led her to join their cause.
The Idiots is an eclectic film. It is emotionally raw, humorous, and even disturbing at times.
The Idiots employs the rules of the Dogma 95 movement of filmmaking, devised by von
Trier and fellow filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg. This manifesto aims to get back to pure
filmmaking by avoiding the use of artificial effects such as only using natural light sources,
not using non-diegetic music, shooting scenes in order and using only hand-held cameras
to capture a more realistic depiction of cinema. Shot on hand-held digital video, the film
comes across as a perverse pseudo-documentary study into human psychology.

7. Europa (1991)

Europa [also known as Zentropa] is arguably von Triers most experimental film visually. In
this post-war neo-noir, idealistic American Leo Kessler (Jean-Marc Barr) heads to Germany
just after WWII to work as a as a sleeping car conductor on the Zentropa railway line. Leo
falls for the railway magnates daughter, Katherina Hartmann (Barbara Sukowa), who
unbeknownst to him, is secretly embroiled in a pro-Nazi terrorist conspiracy. Leo is put in
the devastating position of saving himself and Katerina, or taking innocent lives.
The performances in Europa are amazing, but it is perhaps the visuals that are the most
impressive. From the very beginning of the film the narrators stern voice (Max von Sydow)
hypnotizes the audience into the strange foreign world of Europa. The film is very
experimental in its visual style, combining both black and white and saturated color
sequences, both separately and together. The use of rear-projection screens and layering
of images over one another contributes to the films surreal and mesmerizing feel. With its
classical film style, unique look and intriguing story, Europa is a must see for serious film
buffs.

6. Epidemic (1987)

Epidemic is one of von Triers earliest and thus unknown films. In this very self-referential
and meta horror film, Lars von Trier and his co-writer Niels Vrsel play screenwriters trying
frantically to finish a script for their producer on a tight deadline. After losing their original
script, they change their idea to a short horror film called Epidemic, in which a deadly
bubonic-like plague spreads across Europe. In a tragic and ironic twist of fate the fictional
plague begins leaking out of the script and infected others in a deadly case of life imitating
art.
Epidemic was shot on low grade 35mm film in black and white, employing the use of
creepy shadow effects and claustrophobic framing to create an apocalyptic tone. With a
grandiose, classical soundtrack comprised of Wagner and Bach, and coupled with
otherworldly sound effects, Epidemic is a successful exercise in experimental low-budget
filmmaking.
5. Breaking the Waves (1996)

This melodramatic film is the second in von Triers Golden Heart Trilogy which also
includes The Idiots (1998) and Dancer in the Dark (2000). All films in this trilogy feature
themes of female sacrifice and personal traumas and the power of love and self-sacrifice.
Breaking the Waves tells the story of a nave woman living in a remote Calvinist community
off the Scottish coast in the 70s. Against the wishes of her pious community and austere
church elders, Bess (Emily Watson) marries Norwegian oil rig worker Jan (Stellan
Skarsgrd). Her purity is put to the ultimate test when Jan is crippled in an accident, leaving
him paralyzed. Despite Besss unwillingness and inner turmoil at Jans suggestion to have
sexual encounters with other men, she perseveres as she believes her devotion will cure
Jan. Bess gets her wish but at a high cost, with tragic consequences.
In this powerful and spiritual film, von Trier re-conceptualizes the themes of religious
devotion, faith and love in an unorthodox tale of the human struggle to find meaning and
purpose in the world by embracing its limitations rather than ignoring them.

4. Dancer in the Dark (2000)

Dancer in the Dark is von Triers ironic and sadistic take on the musical genre in his true
heart-wrenching melodramatic style. Impoverished single mother and Czech immigrant,
Selma Jekov, (Bjrk), works two jobs in order to afford an operation for her son that will
prevent his vision from deteriorating a condition that she also suffers from. When her
landlord tries to steal her money, a tragedy unfolds leading to heartbreaking consequences
culminating in one of the most hard-hitting final scenes in cinema.
In contrast to her own life of pain and struggle, Selma frequently slips into daydreams
where she sees the world around her as a beautiful carefree musical in glorious color
where nothing dreadful ever happens. The complex choreography and musical numbers
in Dancer in the Dark are filmed in wonderful Technicolor to emphasize their phantasmal
nature contrasting the more somber and emotional scenes in the film, which are filmed in
washed out, grainy video.
Von Trier and Bjrk are a tour de force, collaborating together to write all the music for the
film, making the whole experience as much of an auteur project for Bjrk as it is for von
Trier. Von Trier is a master of manipulating his audience and making them feel for his
female protagonists, and Dancer in the Dark is no exception.

3. Dogville (2003)

Set in a small Rocky Mountain town during the Great Depression, Dogville follows how the
arrival of a beautiful and mysterious fugitive, Grace (Nicole Kidman) changes the behaviors
and morals of this isolated community. The townspeople begrudgingly agree to let Grace
stay in exchange for her labor. Gradually the residents of Dogville bare their teeth and
Grace is exploited in all manner of ways. In a twist ending, the residents of Dogville get
their comeuppance, as the brutality they inflicted on Grace is exacted on themselves in a
nihilistic denouement of blood and flames.
Dogville is arguably von Triers most visually experimental film, being filmed on a large
sound stage with only chalk line drawings on the floor to represent houses, roads,
doorways and furniture. This bold theatrical and Brechtian technique by von Trier allows
focus to remain entirely on the actors performances. Despite the almost three hour running
time, Dogville is a refreshing and captivating film about corruption, justice, betrayal and
revenge and the cruelty of human nature.

2. Antichrist (2009)

Confrontational, controversial and thought provoking, Antichrist is von Triers darkest and
most divisive film. As the first part of his Depression Trilogy which also includes
Melancholia (2011) and Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (2013), this is one of von Triers
most revealing and personal films a catharsis for his own battles with depression.
Antichrist is a modern day psychological horror/thriller which explores the damaging effects
of grief, guilt and human suffering.
After the tragic accidental death of their son, the grieving couple She (Charlotte
Gainsbourg) and He (Willem Dafoe) retreat to Eden, their isolated cabin in the woods,
where they hope to mourn and repair their broken marriage. The couples hopes to be
healed however are short lived as they encounter violence and horror at the hands of
nature and themselves. Exploring the evil of nature and the evil within ourselves, this richly
layered film examines the concept that Nature is Satans Church and that Chaos
Reigns.
Due to the films violence and sexually explicit imagery (including the infamous scissors
scene) Antichrist is not a film for everyone. Despite its disturbing themes the film is visually
sublime, emotionally harrowing and explores the darkest corners of the human psyche.
Antichrist is a cautionary tale of the beauty and terror of nature and the power of the
feminine.

1. Melancholia (2011)

Melancholia is arguably von Triers most accessible work to date. It is a captivating film with
hauntingly beautiful imagery and is a complex look into the crippling alienation of mental
illness and the complicated relationship between two sisters. The film opens with stunning
and apocalyptic slow motion images of a world in chaos set to Wagners Tristan und
Isolde a precursor to the impending destruction of Earth.
We open on bride Justine (Kirsten Dunst) who is marrying Michael (Alexander Skarsgard)
in an opulent wedding reception organized by her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and
brother-in-law, John (Kiefer Sutherland). This should be the happiest day of her life, but
instead a sudden sense of dread comes over Justine when she learns that a massive
planet called Melancholia is moving towards the Earth. After accepting their fate, the two
sisters face the end of the world together in a stunning yet tragic denouement.
Melancholia is a mixture of surreal science fiction and psychological drama in which von
Trier confronts his own personal struggles with depression. The allegorical decline of
Justines happy life and subsequent mental decline as the blue planet Melancholia
approaches is simply brilliant. For Justine, when her happiness ends, so too does her
world, and in broader terms, the world around her.
Author Bio: Sophie completed her Masters Degree in Creative Arts at Monash Univeristy,
Melbourne. She loves everything about film but her passion is for extreme horror films,
foreign and independent cinema and art film/avant garde films.