Not Anti-America, Anti-Morality
-
Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Film and Television Discussion
Zoomorph — 9 years ago(December 14, 2016 12:26 AM)
In particular, anti- a specific morality, one that is popular in the Western world. The morality of "goodness" and "compassion" and taking pity on others.
Sade wrote a book in the 18th century that had a similar plot to this movie (perhaps it was an inspiration for this?) and was an even more explicit attack against this morality.
According to Nietzsche, this morality was left behind in the aftermath of Christianity. He considered pity a most grave weakness, a sickness, and a danger. He also pointed out that this morality is a sham, that it was created out of immorality and is really just a more sophisticated form of immorality itself.
Grace's father pointed out the same thing more-or-less when he pointed out that she was more arrogant than he, despite all her feelings of moral superiority.
The way Grace allows everyone to use and abuse her is not too unlike how we in the West, both in Europe and America, are currently allowing foreigners to use and abuse us - giving them free money, even allowing them to get away with abuses, and so on.
I don't see the film as anti-America. It's dealing with a subject that transcends America and relates to the entire Western world.
~ Observe, and act with clarity. ~ -
Melton1 — 4 months ago(November 05, 2025 04:13 AM)
There’s much more than meets the eye with Von Trier.
Dogville appears to be anti-American - the setting, the final song, and comments Von Trier has made attest to that - but there’s a deep scepticism of Leftism here - Tom’s commie-style idealism and Grace’s suicidal empathy are brutally satirised.
In fact, the absence of a preacher and Grace’s father representing the Old Testament God (vs Grace’s Christ-like compassion) betray a pro-religious stance. Paired with the sequel Manderlay, Von Trier seems to conclude that the Old Testament bastard is always right!
Von Trier has described himself as a ‘socialist’ but he’s clearly wrestling with that label as he eviscerates his own stand-in character - Tom.
In today’s world of tedious Woke propaganda, Dogville shines ever brighter as a rich and complex work with a deep and unnerving insight into human nature. -
ToastedCheese — 4 months ago(November 05, 2025 08:22 AM)
I get the symbolism of it, I just came away feeling that the film was a tad pretentious with its sparse open plan set design. Art is art, but this is Von Trier, and I feel he missed a lost opportunity and even audience with his presentation.
Norman! What did you put in my tea? -
Melton1 — 4 months ago(November 05, 2025 02:10 PM)
It’s a striking formal decision and it fully serves the content
️ To film it conventionally would only have diluted the power of the film. Von Trier has proven himself to be a great artist so I’m hesitant to call his bold creative decisions ‘pretentious’.