Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

The Idiots

Original title: Idioterne
  • 19981998
  • 1h 57m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
32K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Idioterne (1998)
Home Video Trailer from USA Films
Play trailer1:03
1 Video
29 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama

The group of people gather at the house in Copenhagen suburb to break all the limitations and to bring out the "inner idiot" in themselves.The group of people gather at the house in Copenhagen suburb to break all the limitations and to bring out the "inner idiot" in themselves.The group of people gather at the house in Copenhagen suburb to break all the limitations and to bring out the "inner idiot" in themselves.

IMDb RATING
6.8/10
32K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Lars von Trier(uncredited)
  • Writer
    • Lars von Trier(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Bodil Jørgensen
    • Jens Albinus
    • Anne Louise Hassing
Top credits
  • Director
    • Lars von Trier(uncredited)
  • Writer
    • Lars von Trier(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Bodil Jørgensen
    • Jens Albinus
    • Anne Louise Hassing
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 142User reviews
    • 72Critic reviews
    • 47Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 5 nominations

    Videos1

    The Idiots
    Trailer 1:03
    The Idiots

    Photos29

    Idioterne (1998)
    1 sheet movie poster
    Idioterne (1998)
    Idioterne (1998)
    Idioterne (1998)
    Idioterne (1998)
    Idioterne (1998)
    Idioterne (1998)
    Idioterne (1998)
    Idioterne (1998)
    Idioterne (1998)
    Idioterne (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bodil Jørgensen
    • Karenas Karen
    Jens Albinus
    Jens Albinus
    • Stofferas Stoffer
    Anne Louise Hassing
    • Susanneas Susanne
    Troels Lyby
    Troels Lyby
    • Henrikas Henrik
    Nikolaj Lie Kaas
    Nikolaj Lie Kaas
    • Jeppeas Jeppe
    Louise Mieritz
    Louise Mieritz
    • Josephineas Josephine
    Henrik Prip
    • Pedas Ped
    Luis Mesonero
    • Miguelas Miguel
    Knud Romer Jørgensen
    • Axelas Axel
    Trine Michelsen
    • Nanaas Nana
    Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis
    Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis
    • Katrineas Katrine
    Paprika Steen
    Paprika Steen
    • High Class Ladyas High Class Lady
    Erik Wedersøe
    • Stoffer's Uncleas Stoffer's Uncle
    Michael Moritzen
    • Man From Municipalityas Man From Municipality
    Anders Hove
    Anders Hove
    • Josephine's Fatheras Josephine's Father
    Jan Elle
    • Waiteras Waiter
    Claus Strandberg
    • Guide At Factoryas Guide At Factory
    Jens Jørn Spottag
    Jens Jørn Spottag
    • Boss At Advertising Agencyas Boss At Advertising Agency
    • (as Jens Jørgen Spottag)
    • Director
      • Lars von Trier(uncredited)
    • Writer
      • Lars von Trier(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Breaking the Waves
    7.8
    Breaking the Waves
    Manderlay
    7.2
    Manderlay
    Direktøren for det hele
    6.6
    Direktøren for det hele
    Europa
    7.6
    Europa
    Epidemic
    6.0
    Epidemic
    Dancer in the Dark
    7.9
    Dancer in the Dark
    Dogville
    8.0
    Dogville
    Antichrist
    6.5
    Antichrist
    The Element of Crime
    6.7
    The Element of Crime
    Melancholia
    7.1
    Melancholia
    The Five Obstructions
    7.4
    The Five Obstructions
    The Kingdom
    8.3
    The Kingdom

    Storyline

    Edit
    A group of perfectly intelligent young people decide to react to society's cult of aimless, non-creative and non-responsible form intellect by living together in a community of "idiots". Their main activity becomes going out into the world of "normal" people and pretending to be mentally retarded. They take advantage of this situation to create anarchy everywhere they go and try by every possible means to make people annoyed, disturbed, miserable, ridiculous, angered, and shocked. The film starts as they recruit a new lost soul and introduce her to their megalomaniac leader. —Matthieu Navarro
    • experimental film
    • dogme 95
    • community
    • mental illness
    • stupidity
    • 33 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Society is the mother of all Idiots
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Drama
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Infamously, English critic Mark Kermode got thrown out of the screening at the Cannes film festival for loudly heckling the film and yelling "il est merde!" at the screen on multiple occasions (French for the vulgar critique, "this is shit").
    • Goofs
      This is a film that adheres to the 'Dogme 95' manifesto, so the usual goof rules do not necessarily apply. This includes shots of the crew, microphones and other equipment, as well as continuity errors.
    • Quotes

      Susanne: Being an idiot with you is one of the best things I've ever done.

    • Alternate versions
      To avoid an NC-17 rating, the U.S. distributor used black bars to cover all shots of male genitals and penetration during the orgy scene.
    • Connections
      Featured in De ydmygede (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      The Swan
      by Camille Saint-Saëns (as Camille Saint-Saens)

    User reviews142

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Great
    While not quite at the same level as _Breaking the Waves_, the only other Lars von Trier I have seen (his films are quite hard to come by in Midwestern American video stores, you understand), _The Idiots_ is still a great film, and, in some ways, is just as important.

    I have to comment on a lot of the reviews I've seen for this movie. A lot of viewers judge the film by the theories and views about the group's existence (particularly the view spoken by the most outspoken of the Idiots, Stoffer). This is surely not the way von Trier meant his audience to take the film. If you paid any attention to the film, you'll notice that the Idiots' lifestyle is never glamorized. Everyone's experience in the group ends in embarrassment and despair. You should also note that none of the Idiots has the same opinion of why they like to act the idiot. Stoffer might say that they do it to upset the bourgeosie (I don't pretend to know how to spell that word), but the next person might be doing it just to play around. The artist (whose name escapes me at the moment) is doing it to become a better artist, and the doctor is doing it almost for experiment. There is never a reason for the groups' existence that the entire group agrees upon. This is extremely important for understanding this film.

    The way _The Idiots_ particularly hit me was in the characterizations. The actors are so great in this film that they hit the level of: "Is this really acting, or is it just being?" von Trier hit the same level in _Breaking the Waves_. These actors were so good, their characters just jumped out of the script. There are many characters, and only a few of them are characterized in the script extensively. Stoffer, although not the main character, is the most prominent character in the script. Many of the characters don't have all that many lines or screen time, but I felt I knew them all well.

    I also appreciated that it actually entertained me. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much. It is often very, very funny (if offensive). It also gripped me emotionally. I did not particularly comprehend the ending's meaning, but it left me with a powerful emotion. I did have tears in my eyes when I left the theater, and a lot of thoughts in my head. When a man outside the theater stopped me to ask me how I liked it, my lips and my brain were too dry to actually answer anything but, "I liked it. I liked it a lot." 9/10
    helpful•98
    23
    • zetes
    • Jun 30, 2000

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 21, 1998 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • Denmark
      • France
      • Netherlands
      • Germany
      • Sweden
      • Italy
    • Official site
      • Dogme 95 collective
    • Language
      • Danish
    • Also known as
      • Dogma 2: 'The Idiots'
    • Filming locations
      • Denmark
    • Production companies
      • Zentropa Entertainments
      • Danmarks Radio (DR)
      • Liberator Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $2,500,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 57 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    The Bootleg Origins of “Jackass”
    The Bootleg Origins of “Jackass”
    Mar 4MUBI
    Lars Von Trier’s ‘The Kingdom Exodus’ adds new and returning cast
    Lars Von Trier’s ‘The Kingdom Exodus’ adds new and returning cast
    May 17ScreenDaily

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Idioterne (1998)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Idioterne (1998) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The 10 Most Anticipated Marvel and DC Movies
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:14
    The Most Anticipated Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.