This post is part of a larger deep dive
Curious about the role of Stoicism and Nietzsche's philosophy of the future in Dogville? Check out Dogville Explained!
Or read the full Dogville article!
Director: Lars von Trier
Producer: Vibeke Windeløv
Writer: Lars von Trier
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Paul Bettany, Lauren Bacall, Stellan Skarsgård, James Caan
Year: 2003
Duration: 2h 58m
Country: Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, France
Language: English
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There are a few directors whose films I always insist to watch. Lars von Trier is one of them.
But I never, ever watch a Lars von Trier film without properly preparing myself that it is going to be an unconventional experience. Dogville was, indeed, no exception.
Having watched other von Trier’s atypical films such as “The Idiots”, “Europa” and “Dancer in the Dark”, I was sure Dogville would also be one of a kind. The question was: what kind?
The first time I watched Dogville was in the cinema, and after literally a few minutes into the film, I spotted people leaving the cinema room.
As for myself, I remained seated. You see, I seem incapable of not finishing a film, regardless of how scared, bored or tired I am (I’m lying, I actually left the cinema once towards the end of Spice World, but can you really blame me?).
So, yes, thanks to this admittedly slightly obsessive behaviour, I stayed until the end.
And I was so glad I did!
The film stars Nicole Kidman in the role of Grace Mulligan, a gentle and kind young lady that arrives at a little town called Dogville.
Dogville’s residents learn that she on the run from gangsters, so they become reluctant to let her stay, although they eventually agree. As time passes she starts to gain the townspeople’s trust and becomes central in helping the community to prosper by doing all sorts of little, but useful, chores.
However, Grace begins to notice a darker side to this town, as she becomes subjected to maltreatment by the townsfolk.
As with most von Trier’s films, Dogville gradually builds tension, which is released in a dramatic and twisted finale.
Despite it’s length (the film is almost 3 hours long) and somewhat invariable storyline, Dogville had myself gripped to the screen from beginning to end.
Most critics will surely point to the austere setting as a weakness – for example, the building walls and some objects are only marked by chalk; there is only a black/white background; and the whole film takes place in a single minimalistic set. It feels a bit like you are watching an eerie theater piece, the film is even divided by “chapters”, much like in theatre.
However, I do not consider it a weakness. In fact, as I’ll explain below, there might have been a reason why Lars von Trier chose this kind of minimalistic set.
And that last chapter, what an ending!!! The conversation between Grace and her father about morality must certainly rank among one of the best dialogues in the history of cinema – and, incidentally, the reason we are reviewing the film. How ingenious it was of von Trier to bring this scene up at a point when viewers are becoming exasperated by Grace’s passivity – it almost acts as a cathartic experience for the viewers.
One criticism I have is that, for a film of almost 3 hours, I would have welcomed more insightful philosophical discussions among the characters. The film starts slowly and at certain points I found it repetitive.
It would have also been interesting to explore the different characters’ perspective on questions of acceptance and morality. Although these ideas are briefly brushed over, they are hardly contextualised (for example, Tom’s idea of moral re-armament, or Grace’s understanding of Stoicism).
Dogville had probably many chances to have failed. I do not doubt that with a less provocative, experienced, and outright courageous director, it probably would have.
However, in my opinion, Lars von Trier ranks among one of the best directors and writers out there. Dogville shows his acumen to mingle philosophical ideas with real societal issues, and it does so in an unprecedented manner.
He managed to write a captivating story, a meaningful script, with fleshed out characters, and all that while remaining on a relatively low budget. For that reason, Dogville gets a star rating of 4.
OK, some of you might consider the film strange, definitely unconventional.
However, the narrative of the film isn’t really that weird. Everyone will be able to follow the storyline without major problems.
Yes, there are a few strange elements, like chalk-painted house perimeters with no walls, but these elements do not affect our understanding of the narrative. For these reasons, we give the film a 1.5 in the Bizarrometer score.
While reading around a few interpretations, I noticed that many interpretations revolved around the idea that the film somehow contained anti-American messages, which sparkled a fiery debate in social media.
Critics have referred to the credits sequence montage showing photographs of destitute Americans going as back as the 1930’s until the present day, while David Bowie’s song “Young Americans” is played in the background.
Without wishing to raise any hackles, evaluating the merit of an entire film on the basis of the credits sequence appears to miss out big time on a more significant message. Using von Trier’s own words: “I think the point to the film is that evil can arise anywhere, as long as the situation is right”. We will explore what that means in a bit.
There is at least one element in the narrative of Dogville that will not go unnoticed: 1) the townspeople’s change from altruistic to vicious and 2) Grace’s change from forgiver to executioner.
Throughout the film we become accustomed to the gracious and kindhearted behaviour Grace displays. We sympathise, if not fall in love, with this mysterious character, despite the fact we know virtually nothing about her past.
Likewise, the residents of Dogville are initially presented to us as modest, honest and lovable people, content with little they can get from the resources provided by the community.
Grace and the Dogville do seem like a perfect match.
However, the relationship between Grace and the townspeople quickly deteriorates, as the townsfolk begin to exploit Grace’s kindness and obligeness, and use the fact that she has been (falsely) accused of robbery, to justify their ever more coercive measures.
It is at this point that we realise that Dogville’s inhabitants harbour malicious intent. We do not view anymore the town as idyllic and altruistic, but rather oppressive, corrupt and sinister.
Grace’s first conversation with one of the town’s residents, Chuck, is particularly revealing.
Chuck asks Grace if Dogville has got her fooled yet – by that he means if she has already realised that the townspeople’s “generosity” is simply an act. Even though Grace thinks the town is charming and people are lovable, this is simply a facade. He thinks the town is actually “rotten, from the inside out”.
According to Chuck, people are greedy like animals, regardless of whether they live in a city or in a small town such as Dogville – the difference is that in a small town they are a little bit less successful. “Feed them enough, they’ll eat until they burst” he said.
I guess this is what von Trier meant by evil arising when the situation is right. Everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live, contain the seed of evil, and will not hesitate to exercise evil if it puts them out of harm’s way.
This pessimistic view of the nature of human beings is particularly interesting when we consider that what we had once believed to be a lovely little town with good people was suddenly transformed into a sinister town with preverse people.
Now, even after the residents of Dogville cruelly subject Grace to sexual abuse and enslavement, she appears to condone the townspeople behaviour.
Taking a sneak peak of what will be discussed in this article, Grace’s actions appear to resonate Stoic practices. For example, refusal to dwell in misfortunes, even in the event of enslavement; that reputation, resentment, anger, sadness are all indifferent things that should be handled with emotional detachment; that the only fundamental thing to live for is displaying virtue; that forgiveness of others’ misdeeds is something we should endorse as human beings.
Grace’s mindset, however, undergoes a 180-degree turn after she engages in a discussion about morality with her father. Her change is triggered by the realisation that her moral values are inimical not only to her own well-being but to humanity in general, and, thus, a new morality must be forged – Grace’s own morality.
Grace’s resolution is categorical: Dogville poses a threat to humankind and needs to be purged from the Earth.
As I’ll explain in detail below, Grace’s two antagonistic approaches to matters of morality resemble the opposing philosophical teachings of Stoicism and Friedrich Nietzsche.
This was a magnificent review of a great movie. I enjoyed your review as much as I enjoyed the movie itself. However, I, with a background in philosophy and German, read a lot of Nietzache in both German and English. I also know how Nietzsche was MISUSED to back up NAZI propoganda. I am not trying to say that you were inaccurate in what you said about Nietsche’s writing. but your metaphors and examples completely missed the target, in my opinion. You described a Nietsche who would resemble Charles Atlas, and who, if he was coming towards you on the street would look like a bruiser.
In reality, Nietsche was a smallish weakling with a huge brain. Nietsche was all about the brain. Nietsche would never try to be first in line in a crowded store. Probably the only time in his life that he got into a fight, was when he tried to stop a man on the street from beating his horse. and by doing that, he had a complete mental and physical breakdown, and never recovered,
Nietsche was not a boxing champion, he was a thinking champion.He was the son of a Lutheran minister. He was not religious, but he was a genius.
Philosophy-wise, Nietsche was one of the first Existentialists. He didn’t believe in trying to figure out what reality was, he believed in using your brain to mold reality. Your brain, not your bicepts.And I think my version of Nietsche also works extremely well in analyzing this movie. Grace was ten times the IQ of anyone in Dogville. She was teaching kids stoicism. She could understand what was going on around her. Physically, she was more like Nietsche than Marcus Aurelius. She was raped and abused daily until she decided that changing reality was much more effective than trying to cope with it. So, she used her mind to mold reality by having daddy put the wiseguys to work and “fix” the town. You go, girl!
Great movie, Great philiscophical review above.
Hi David,
Many thanks for your insightful comment, and I’m happy you enjoyed the article!
I completely agree with what you say above. The examples described in the article were just my attempt at linking Nietzsche’s teachings with more mundane, daily-life experiences that readers could relate to.
In particular, people getting angry at others skipping the line probably aligns with Nietzsche’s proposition that seemingly honourable attitudes can be often expressions of self-interest or envy in disguise. I admit though that there’re likely better analogies.
But, yes, Nietzsche would have (almost surely) sucked it up and stayed in line 😀
I was looking for a satisfying analysis after watching the film with my wife. It was my 3rd or 4th time seeing the film, and it’s one of my all time favorites. Now, in my 40’s, I think I fully appreciate the philosophical implications. Your essay really hit the nail on the head for me. Thank you.
Hi Familydude,
You’re very welcome, and thank you for your comment!
I watched Dogville for the first time when it came out in the cinema back in 2003 and I loved it. Rewatched it after 20 years with renewed eyes and a tad more philosophical, and it was a whole different experience.
Only great films have this capacity to make us feel differently as we mature – Dogville is certainly one of them!
I wholeheartedly agree. I’m now interested in learning more about Nietzsche. Do you have a recommendation on where to go, or what book to begin with? Thanks
I read two or three books on Nietzsche for a general overview of his work, as well as translations of some of original texts such as The Antichrist (which were surprisingly not extremely difficult to follow).
However, there are plenty of youtubers out there with a Philosophy background who do a very good job at explaining philosophical ideas with plenty of quotidian examples, and this is what I recommend as a first dive into Nietzsche. Two of my favourite channels while writing up the article were: Personal Power and Philosophy Vibe.
Good luck! I had a lot of fun learning Nietzsche’s philosophy, and I’m sure you’ll do too 😉
Incredible article! This movie put me in quite a depressive episode but your analysis really helped me understand why it made me feel so powerless. I also found Grace’s change to be reminiscent of Camus’ philosophies on absurdity and sincerity.
Hi Mike,
Thank you very much for your comment!
I have to admit that I know very little about Albert Camus’ philosophies, but you’ve certainly piqued my interest. So thanks for the suggestion, I’ll check it out!
Outstanding
Great article! Dogville is one of my favorite movies and to be honest I identify with Grace regarding her stoic values. Now I am struggling a little with the consequences of my virtue approach towards people. At some point earlier I decided to reject the master attitude since it wasn’t always understood (i.e. at work), I fell into the herd mentality trap. It is not easy, you try to be good and go beyond for others – they kick you in the butt, you control the situation – they are scared of you.
After this read I am at least a little bit more aware and eager to get a better understanding of Nietzsche’s position.
So in some way, you changed my life 😀 thanks!
Hi harofld. Thank you for your comment, and I’m very happy to know that you found the article helpful.
Indeed, I identify strongly with what you said about the difficulty in displaying a type of master morality in places where it is often misunderstood. I have to confess I also tend to follow a herd mentality: trying to appease others, being diplomatic and uncontroversial and exercise good judgement, even if that puts me at a disavantage sometimes.
Nevertheless, the research I did for Dogville, placing Stoicism and Nietzsche’s philosophy in a sort of opposition, was at least helpful in making me aware of some of my own limitations.
I don’t think I’ve ever read an article or a review this good. It captures everything that it needs to capture, in terms of dissecting the essense of the movie AND in terms of debating through different philosophies. 100/100. Thank you so much for putting in the effort and time. Remarkable.
Hi Kate. Thank you very much for your very kind words and I’m really glad you enjoyed the article. I’ll definitely do my best to keep publishing these articles as often as I can 😉 Hope to hear from you again soon!
This article was as good as the movie, I really appreciate the time the autor took to write it, as a practitioner Stoic I loved to read a film review that was very well informed. And beyond that it was just so complete and satisfying to read. Thank you, looking forward to read the other articles.
Hi Ztoicfox. Many thanks for the kind words, I’m really happy that you enjoyed the article. It’s comments like yours that really make my day :). Cheers!
Great
Loved the movie but…
I loved the movie, the concept, the aesthetic, the philosophy behind and the acting! All great, my only but, was the camera work, I understand handheld makes total sense with the whole line of the movie but personally it was to pronounce. If it was made more subtle I would have given 5 stars.