say what you like about the success of "the idiots" as a satire: i'd say it's hard to miss the biting wit and gasp-inducing daring behind this strange, sad little film. bad boy von trier seems determined to offend here in a naive schoolboy poop-joke sort of way, but although his exploration of the vulgarities of this group of players is exhaustive, it is ultimately not the point -- it is a device to keep us entertained and busy so that he can hit us upside the head with yet another "breaking the waves"-style melodramatic surprise ending. and, as with "breaking the waves", it is completely effective -- the audience (myself included) was stunned, sobered, and silenced -- almost as if they had been caught laughing at the jokes and were then punished for it. the line between those who need to get in touch with something vulnerable inside and those who just want to act like children is clearly drawn, to highly dramatic and moving effect -- one can almost see the line of von trier's thought between "breaking the waves"'s slow bess and these noxious pranksters, who spend their time trying to achieve her simplicity. i don't think i'll ever see anything else quite like it.
Review of The Idiots
