The Idiots

Encyclopedia : T : TH : THE : The Idiots

The Idiots (Danish: Idioterne) is a 1998 Danish film directed by Lars von Trier. It is his first film made in compliance with the Dogme '95 Manifesto, and it is known as Dogme #2.

The film is about an anti-bourgeois group of adults who spend their time seeking their "inner idiot", by releasing their inhibitions and behaving as if mentally retarded in public, hence challenging the establishment. They feel that the society-at-large treats their intelligence uncreatively and unchallengingly; thus, they seek humiliation and degradation.

The Idiots is the second film in Von Trier's Golden Heart Trilogy which includes Breaking the Waves (1996) and Dancer in the Dark (2000).

Tagline 1: You're a whole lot dumber than you think.

Tagline 2: A film by idiots, about idiots, for idiots.

Contents

1 Plot summary
2 Awards
3 Confession
4 Banned
5 Possible meaning
6 External links

Plot summary

[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.

A group of adults lives in a large house in Denmark and spends most of their time pretending to be mentally retarded in public as a means of finding their "inner idiot". They are met by Karen (Bodil Jørgensen) who at first accidentally and then purposefully falls in with them.

Awards

Bodil Awards (1999)
* Won: Best Actress, Bodil Jørgensen
* Won: Best Supporting Actor, Nikolaj Lie Kaas
* Won: Best Supporting Actress, Anne Louise Hassing
* Nominated: Best Film
Cannes Film Festival (1998)
* Nominated: Golden Palm
European Film Awards (1998)
* Nominated: European Film Award, Best Screenwriter
London Film Festival (1998)
* Won: FIPRESCI Prize, Lars von Trier
Robert Festival (1999)
* Won: Best Actress, Bodil Jørgensen
Valladolid International Film Festival (1998)
* Nominated: Golden Spike, Lars von Trier

Confession

The confession of a Dogme 95 film is an idea adapted by Thomas Vinterberg in the first Dogme 95 film: Make a confession if there were things happening on the shoot which are not in accordance with the strict interpretation of the Dogme 95 rules. It is written from the director's point of view. Accordingly, Lars von Trier made the following confession:

In relation to the production of Dogme 2 "The Idiots", I confess:

To have used a stand-in in one case only (the sexual intercourse scene).
To have organised payment of cash to the actors for shopping of accessories (food).
To have intervened with the location (by moving sources of light — candlelight — to achieve exposure).
To have been aware of the fact that the production had entered into an agreement of leasing a car (without the knowledge of the involved actor).

All in all, and apart from the above, I feel to have lived up to the intentions and rules of the manifesto: Dogme95.

Banned

Due to its explicit sexual content in the sexual intercourse scene, the film was banned in Ireland. It is an adult-only movie in Argentina, Australia (though it has been shown uncut on TV with an MA rating), Chile, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Spain, the United States, Switzerland and the UK.

Possible meaning

In human life there are very few situations where people can act freely expressing their emotions, needs and feelings. In most situations, social life, even family life, people are just actors playing their roles accordingly to the expectations of the others around. They are immersed in a formal, pragmatic and logic world, that leaves little place for happiness. There are very few moments in life when people can truly be their selves and these are the only moments they feel happy inside.

External links

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.