Post by Toasted Cheese on May 26, 2019 6:11:10 GMT
...... cause madcap Bjork to act according to her very own worst interests; and also there is some curious element of perversion going on here, as she is unable or unwilling to even take the slightest step to defend herself when she is on trial for her life. Bjork played her character like a slightly crazed martyr who lived in a world of (very bad) songs, and at a deeper level, she almost seemed to get off on having an extremely terrible and sad life. What a bad idea for a movie. I hated this movie. There was nothing about it that I liked, though I was grateful whenever she wasn't singing.
Lars Von Trier's films are not everyone's cup of tea and I have seen a few. I love Dancer In The Dark Mr. Dirty. And while I agree with your critique of the Bjork's character from an objective perspective regarding her character's dumbness, I also emotionally connect with her character and story and why she did what she did.
The film does appear to be biased, milking sentiment for the sympathetic factor for Selma, as in lets make her naive and innocent and sweet and see her getting swallowed whole by the hungry and deceiving wolves, who are just stereotypes and caricatures. The film is flawed in this respect. That said, with the recent discussion you started about the death penalty and wrongly accused—though in this case, Selma was wrongly convicted with a harsh murder charge, when it was more like manslaughter—I find it makes a very strong case point against capital punishment and that was its agenda.
I don't even see the film as a musical and I am by no means a Bjork fan. I like what was done with the music here, which really plays second fiddle to the drama. Selma was technically and legally blind, her only real escape and enjoyment was in movie musicals and her kind and concerned friend Kathy narrated them for her. I loved how Selma was able to escape into her own musical world of her own devices, with her honed hearing for the sounds around her and creating her own illusion before she is transported back to the harsh existence of her own meager reality. She made the ultimate sacrifice so her boy could live a life with sight and that was her first and foremost concern. This films touches me deeply and I was so shocked by the ending the first time I saw it and tears were streaming down my cheeks. As the tagline of the film decries Mr. Dirty....You don't need eyes to see.