oddity in film

Have you ever seen Uncle Vanya on 42nd? It's a theatrical performance on film. There's not much in the way of sets or costumes. In fact I think it's set up as a non-dress rehearsal. I remember at first being put off by the fact that I was watching a theatre on the big screen, kind of like looking at the little girl on the salt container with a picture of a little girl on the salt container etc etc.

We watched Dogville last night. It's a part of a trilogy, apparently, by the director of Dancer in the Dark (quick imdb check says the dude's name is Lars VonTrier) starring Nicole Kidman and a bunch of other actors that you'll recognize and probably already like a lot. It's a film of a theatrical performance as well, although there are some sets, mostly chalk outlines of houses, streets, bushes and a dog, but everyone's in costume and there are sound effects put into the soundtrack. At first I had that uncomfortable feeling, just like at the beginning of Uncle Vanya, but I lost it after a while as I paid more attention to the story and less to the set (although at times the weird set is part of the humor).

Much like Dancer in the Dark, you'll feel a bit down after watching Dogville. However, I did not cry even a little bit. It's very much a look at the darker side of human nature, small town culture, and class relations. Is that a recommendation? Yeah, you should probably see it. Even if the Nicole Kidman part is played by Ron Howard's daughter in the 2nd installment.