Review of Dancer in the Dark (2000) by Chris M — 23 Mar 2011
I'm a Björk fanatic. I had always wanted to see this movie because of this. I had heard about how amazing Björk is in this movie, so my expectations were high.
And she shattered them completely.
"Dancer in the Dark" is not for everyone. It is a musical, for one thing, and some people just dislike musicals (their loss). Secondly, the songs are written and sung by Björk, who is also not for everyone (their BIG loss). And thirdly, it's extremely sad. I mean, EXTREMELY sad.
The story is about a Czech woman, named Selma, living in a trailer in the united states with her 12 year old son. She works in a factory, saving up money to send to her father in Czechoslovakia...or so she says. Her secret is that she is going blind, due to a hereditary disease, and she is saving up money to get her son an operation on his 13th birthday so he will not end up blind. She is slowly saving up money, but her fading eyesight makes working at the factory difficult. And that's not all she has to contend with...
I've heard some critics say that the story of "Dancer in the Dark" is almost like a soap opera. If you want to nitpick, go a head. The fact is is that the story in this movie is meant to be simple. It's not the story that's supposed to be complex, it's the emotions, which brings us to the film's greatest strength: it's performances.
Every character is portrayed in this movie marvelously. Everyone is brimming with emotion. But the standout is Björk. Although she is a musician and not an actress, she out-does everyone in this movie. It truly is something to behold. Björk described her performance as "feeling" rather than "acting". In a sense, she has redefined the art. She is another actress who was robbed in the 2000 Best Actress Oscar, which went to Julia Roberts (the other being Ellen Burstyn, who at least was nominated).
"Dancer in the Dark" is truly greater than the sum of its parts. It is a simple story brimming with heart. In a way, that's how Selma would have it.
This review of Dancer in the Dark (2000) was written by Chris M on 23 March 2011.
Dancer in the Dark has generally received very positive reviews.
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