Dogville

Dogville is a 2003 movie written and directed by Lars von Trier, starring Nicole Kidman and Paul Bettany. It is a parable that uses an extremely minimal set to tell the story of Grace (Kidman), a fugitive from mobsters, who arrives in the small town of Dogville and is provided refuge in return for physical labor.

Interpretations

The film is set in the 1930s, and the small dead-end town of Dogville can be a symbol for any similar town in the United States or, in fact, anywhere. As the two dozen or so citizens of Dogville are introduced to Grace, they are put to a moral test: Are they willing to save a woman who is quite clearly innocent, and to in effect risk their own lives for her, receiving little more than kindness in return? Grace too is faced with a test: when faced with cruelty from the people of Dogville, can she forgive them because they are poor, or will she seek revenge?

Related Topics:
1930 - United States

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Some have called Dogville an allegory based on many elements of the Passion of Christ, and a number of plot twists to provide contemporary relevence, and interesting questions of morality and philosophy. Grace is compared with Jesus, who suffered unjustly at the hands of those he sought to serve. Tom, on the other hand, is compared to the church; while claiming to love Jesus's Grace, he ultimately betrays her ? in the movie, he does so with a kiss, a possible reference to Judas's kiss of betrayal ? because of his preference for self-righteousness and intellectualism (always seeking another "illustration"). The dialogue between Grace and her father in the car is described as a comparison between the "old-testament" and "new-testament" approaches to morality, with the father representing the brutal justice of the old testament and Grace representing the call to boundless mercy of the New Testament. Some view the brutal ending as posing the question: "What if Jesus were to decide that he had suffered enough at the hands of those who have abused his Grace?"

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Some have called Dogville an anti-American movie because it seems to imply that America does not care for the weakest members of its society and worse, that they are exploited whenever people think they can get away with it. The images of poverty stricken Americans of different eras flashing over the screen during the closing credits, accompanied by the song "Young Americans" by David Bowie, suggest that the film is in some sense intended to be a comment on American society.

Related Topics:
Anti-American - David Bowie

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One theme of the film is the difference between altruism and the quid pro quo arrangement set up between Grace and the townspeople. While initially the latter exchange is mutually beneficial, it is increasingly abused by those who hold power. This could be taken as an indictment of capitalism or as a comment on the self-centered nature of human relationships.

Related Topics:
Altruism - Quid pro quo - Capitalism

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To a certain extent, the film also serves to question moral relativism. Grace, it seems, is incapable of passing judgement on any behavior - no matter how reprehensible. To her, all of these behaviors are merely products of circumstance. Her father, who appears later, argues that this is arrogant condescension, and that Grace should expect of others what she expects of herself.

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Still others perceive Dogville to be an anti-Christian allegory, rather than anti-American, with Grace's "turn the other cheek" forgiveness being rejected in favour of divine vengeance. In this interpretation, the film is a condemnation of "weak" Christians who allow evil to go unchecked, such as during the Second World War.

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