I must admit that as I write this review, I’m still a bit conflicted about whether I like Dogville or not. Is it a brilliant experimental work that the movie-viewing public just isn’t ready for? Or is it a pretentious, long-winded, and over-hyped failure? Frankly, I’m still too baffled to give a clear verdict. If you’re a typical moviegoer, then odds are you will not enjoy this bleak film and could no doubt find more entertaining ways to spend 3 hours. But if you’re into strange, dark, morally loaded, and controversial movies, this one will surely give you a lot to think and talk about.

The story is set in the Rocky mountains, where Grace (Nicole Kidman) is a young woman on the run from gangsters. In her flight, she stumbles into the small town of Dogville where she meets Tom (Paul Bettany), an idealistic philosopher whose mission in life is to improve the moral fiber of his community. When Tom finds out that Grace is fleeing for her life, he sees the situation as his chance to perform the ultimate moral experiment. Tom calls for a town meeting and asks the people of Dogville to look beyond their own selfish interests and help out a stranger in need. After much persuasion they reluctantly agree to do so.

Feeling grateful for the chance she’s been given, Grace makes it her mission to win the hearts of the townsfolk by showing them how hard she can work on their behalf. She charms the entire community with her kindness, and for a while, everything in Dogville seems rosy. The whole town seems grateful to have her around, and romance blossoms between her and Tom.

But things change for the worse when the police come to town looking for Grace, and the town begins to feel threatened by her presence. They want Grace to start working twice as hard, but for half the pay. Dogville is risking a lot by sheltering her, and it’s only fair, the citizens point out, that she offers something substantial in return. The community demands more and more work from Grace while offering her less and less freedom. Instead of fighting back, Grace displays a disturbing stoicism. By resigning herself to Dogville's capitalist ethos, Grace only encourages more mistreatment from it's citizens, to the point where she is casually abused by the women, raped by the men, and humiliated by the children.

In the end, a surprising turn of events gives Grace the power turn on her oppressors. The moral message here reminds me of the Biblical “eye for an eye” divorced from the warm and fuzzy aspects of Christian lore. Imagine if Jesus, after his resurrection, had abandoned the high road of mercy and forgiveness, and chose instead to unleash some brutal old-testament fury on the pathetic human race. This, essentially, is the path that Grace chooses.

Dogville delivers many of the qualities that ought to win the critics’ praise. The acting is unquestionably solid, and the film demonstrates a powerful ability to grip the emotions, often in disturbing and unexpected ways. I don’t believe anyone can sit through it without being hit in the gut by sadness, anger, indignation, disgust, or all of the above.

One of the film’s most novel aspects is its minimalist setting. The town of Dogville is depicted on a black stage with streets and houses marked in chalk outline on the ground. Watching Dogville feels like watching a filmed play, which puts the focus on the actors instead of the setting.

In spite of these strengths, Dogville has garnered mixed reviews, perhaps because it refuses to deliver many of the things that moviegoers have come to expect from their favorite films: likeable characters and a clear moral message. Instead, Dogville is an unadulterated 3-hour expression of misanthropy. All of the townspeople, with the exception of Moses the dog, are so loathsome that viewers will find it impossible to sympathize with any of them. And while Grace is clearly a victim, it’s difficult to feel genuinely sorry for her as she seems to go out of her way to enable their abuse. The film had manipulated me to the point where I was strangely and shamefully gleeful when Grace unleashed her wrath. It’s a lucky thing that films this bleak are rare. Otherwise, I might just turn into a misanthrope myself.

But my own reservations about this movie are not a reaction to its utter bleakness. Instead, they stem from what I see as a lack of true novelty. Dogville is certainly provacative, but does it present new ideas or make us reexamine the human condition in a new light? All I am able to make out is a mixture of themes that have already been explored by other storytellers and playwrights. Perhaps because Dogville is supposed to be "experimental", I expected more. Von Trier is no Kafka or Ionesco, but perhaps I came to expect too much. If you disagree with my assessment and would like to point out what was so novel about the film, I'd be eager to hear your views.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age