Nov. 15, 2004 - 10:10 pm
i remember being interested in this one for a while, but being leery of actually sitting down to watch it. i had heard that you either love this film or completely hate it. apparently quite a number of people in the Knoxville, TN area reportedly "got up and left the theater." i waited to watch it via the old Netflix deal which Jill and i are happily making use of at this point.
one of the interesting aspects that people like to point out in reference to this film is the fact that it takes place in a small town, but basically the scenery, props, etc. are very minimal and often actually nonexistent. the walls of the houses, for example, are basically chalk outlines drawn on the floor of the studio. yeah, it takes some getting used to.
Dogville is about a small township in the Rockies with only about 20 people living in it. one of the young men of the town is trying to lecture everyone and tell them that they need to be willing to help out each other to a greater extent. at exactly that time, a fugitive named Grace (Nicole Kidman) wanders into town and the young man, Tom (Paul Bettany), seeks the willingness of the town to hide her from a group of gangsters who want her dead. she begins to gain acceptance as she stays with the town members and begins helping them all individually with various chores. they soon find that they don't actually care about her at all and begin blackmailing her into working for no pay, letting them have their way with her sexually, and all sorts of other terrible things. she has a talent for keeping it all bottled up though, and waiting for her chance to escape, but not before avenging herself of their unkindnesses.
Dogville made me feel like a pile of crap. it's quite an interesting script, wonderful acting, obviously not very involved scenery, and lots and lots of negative emotions. it drains you really to watch it. is it worth it? i guess so. you have to have a lot of patience though. be ready to hold your tongue for this 3 hour film.