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Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Bubbling joy and gut-wrenching sadness all mixed together
The emphasis of this film is on the last word of the title ... dark. But in spite of being a dark film, it contains some of the most tender moments found in any movie I have seen. You have to be in the right mood to enjoy this film. A mood where you don't mind having your gut twisted by scenes of incredible sadness.
This is yet another "Dogma '95" film from Danish director Lars von Trier ("Breaking the Waves" & "The Idiots"). He seems to be the only proponent of this minimalist creed of filmmaking that is able to make it work. The story, set in a small town in the '60s, concerns an immigrant woman who is going blind. She will do anything to earn enough money for the operation that will save her son from the same fate. Her only joy in life is a love of musicals. With a local acting group she is practicing to star in "The Sound of Music", but it is her vivid imagination that gives her the most pleasure ... and gets her into the most trouble. As this painful tale progresses from one seemingly inevitable step to the next, both the main character and the audience are sucked into an emotional whirlpool from which there is no escape. Don't see this film unless you are secure enough in your own emotions to withstand the shock.