This didn't seem quite as much as an ordeal to watch as Dogville, as I was prepared for the wordy narrative and sparse sets. Hardly enjoyable but it gets you thinking.

Improves from Dogville in just about everything. Pacing is now tolerable due to a shorter runtime.

Good Movie

I liked this one more than Dogville.

Widely damned, MANDERLAY is nearly as good as DOGVILLE--a bit less sprightly as cinema, but with a more challenging subject: the racial divide in American society. Von Trier satirizes white guilt, as the well-meaning Grace does not quite find her idealism rewarded. Bryce Dallas Howard, taking over the character, is right for this story; earnest, sympathetic, but just a bit overbearing. The rest of the cast is strong, and Von Trier's work--especially the powerful ending--is just as good as ever.

A fascinating look at racism, slavery (both political and psychological), freedom and (the potential flaws of) idealism. It's a provocative piece of filmmaking, but is so explicit about its message and tries to cover so much that it can feel muddled at times (also it lacks the stylistic mastery of its superior prequel, Dogville). Still it really got me thinking and like Dogville it is manipulative in the best way making you reflect on the reactions it prompts from you early on in the film.

Although "Manderlay" never reaches the emotional highs of "Dogville", its carefully structured narrative, well-written dialogue, thematic intrigue and moral implications make it a highly compelling watch. Howard doesn't match Kidman's nuance, but she's a solid substitute. The overall product, however, is hampered by the underwhelming ending, which, unlike the monumental finale of "Dogville", is emotionally muted and marks an obvious attempt to underline the message clearly implied by that point.

The often overlooked but in some respects superior sequel to Dogville. Whether it be Dafoe's smarmy gangster, or the sort of whiny liberal arts student Grace played by Howard this second part of the America Trilogy is an effective jab at the darker elements of white guilt and bourgeois liberalism. A film that maybe hit a bit too close to home for some critics is still wonderfully resonant in light of films like The Help.

It doesn't pack the emotional punch that Dogville does. We go into it with a certain expectation. This diminishes the power of the turn near the end of the film, which was already pretty weak to begin with.

"Alabama, 1933-during which time Von Trier uses the existence of slavery 70 years after its abolition as a metaphor for America's ongoing treatment of its black underclassman." - Ed Gonzalez