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Dogville

Dogville

2003
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
2h 58m
The beautiful fugitive Grace arrives in the isolated Dogville on the run from a team of gangsters. With some encouragement from Tom, the self-appointed town spokesman, the little community agrees to hide her and in return, Grace agrees to work for them.
Your probable score
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Dogville

2003
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
2h 58m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 69.39% from 5720 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(5720)
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Rated 23 Apr 2009
100
90th
The most powerful movie I've seen in a long time, and the cast is virtually perfect including Hurt's wonderful narration. I hoped for a long time that it would end as it did. Then, when the ending actually occurred, I was sickened at myself for hoping it, which only too well mirrored the film's message. It started out getting me invested, then began systematically ripping my heart out and ultimately left me shaken. Add to this brilliantly unique visuals and you get a definite must-see.
Rated 08 Jun 2009
100
97th
Well, that was the most fucked-up community production of Our Town I'VE ever seen.
Rated 01 Mar 2007
95
97th
Captivating storytelling and it shows you so plainly and powerfully that people are such demanding beings,it almost freezes your blood in the end.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
81
69th
As usual, Von Trier annoys me and captivates me at the same time. Dogville is manipulative as hell, transparent as hell, but goddamnit, it's effective as hell.
Rated 06 Dec 2009
89
89th
At first this looked like a manipulative film that I would end up being angry with. Then it started to work too well, I felt uncomfortable, and the only thing that kept me watching was the promise on the back of the DVD case that Dogville gets what it deserves. But then when it comes, I was left realizing that I couldn't have possibly wanted this. And so, all in all, Trier's little tricks that look silly and overdone at first; work to perfection in the end.
Rated 20 Feb 2007
80
77th
Entertaining and visually captivating. The whole cast is almost perfect.
Rated 12 Dec 2006
89
92nd
Very unique in its attempt to play with conventions to tell a great moral tale. It can feel really heavy handed at times, but overall I'd say it succeeds and it's definitely worth giving it a try.
Rated 22 May 2007
75
50th
There are many clever things about this film: the artificiality of the setting, the way light and seeing function as revealers of injustice, and I even kind of like the voice-over narration. But why can't Trier resist making his characters such irredeemable monsters? Granted, the idea of redemption is central here, but making the populace of the small town unimaginably cruel and then claiming that this works as an allegory for all of human society is the cinematic equivalent of a straw man.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
93
99th
On virtue. And America.
Rated 19 Sep 2008
90
79th
Captivating, and very entertaining!
Rated 11 Apr 2009
97
98th
Gritty, brutal and moving......a fantastic film..Highly recommended.
Rated 15 May 2009
86
87th
The narration is very original and it works, especially since the script is awesome. The acting is good all around and Hurt's voice makes the movie tick.
Rated 23 Sep 2009
1
16th
Fuck Lars Trier, self absorbed narcissist with his idiotic dogme style. Horrible.
Rated 08 Jan 2010
4
35th
Sometimes entertaining, sometimes boring, a lot of bullshit, some interesting sets, good acting, felt like a play. Average. People are very evil apparently and von Trier really likes to torture women, too bad I don't.
Rated 10 Sep 2010
95
99th
Finally, a film that dares to have new, original ideas. Lars von Trier's tricky, daring masterwork is a haunting film with an ugly but purgative finale. The unorthodox setting works like a charm and the performances support the material well (especially Kidman & Caan). Above all, this is a film that is not afraid to criticize with insight and intelligence the vanity, greed and hypocrisy that prevail in many aspects of modern America. A film that visits the dark side of the moon and conquers it.
Rated 08 Dec 2011
95
98th
What strikes me about the film is it's element of innocence, what with it's storybook feel, thanks in no small part to John Hurt's narration and the format of "chapters" on intertitles. It's this mood that really makes the film unique and watchable. That, and the "stage" of the town, which is really inspired. It keeps it absolutely gripping for three hours. There is a lot said about greed, selfishness, guilt, and a thousand other things, and the cast is simply terrific.
Rated 18 Jan 2013
90
90th
Makes you want so strongly for a certain event to happen only to, when it does happen, make you wonder how you could have ever wanted it to. The Brechtian set design is extremely effective amplifying emotions and adding a certain placelessness to the film. Not so much an attack on the USA as a way of using issues in the USA to show issues in society at large. Instead of being anti-USA it is instead anti-contempt, anti-poverty and anti-isolatory attitudes.
Rated 12 Dec 2014
9
90th
My relationship with Von Trier's oeuvre has mostly been on and off but Dogville, with its expert build-up, clever scenography and thoughtful reflections on the human condition, took me by great surprise. The stylishly utilised set design is a thing of beauty, if not a stroke of genius, cleverly suggesting how the flaws, ugliness and hypocrisy of man remains unscathed no matter where you wind up. Great film.
Rated 26 Apr 2015
90
93rd
Think what you will of Trier, but at least he's on a mission of constantly exploring the boundaries of what movie-making can be. This merger of theatre and film might be an "evolutionary" dead-end, but it's a very successful attempt, and a good movie to boot. Also, the title might be an anagram. Say whaaat?
Rated 10 Aug 2015
94
99th
You owe them that. You owe them that. The penalty you deserve for your transgressions, they deserve for their transgressions.
Rated 22 Mar 2007
85
98th
Unique film which is not only a pleasure to watch for its story but mostly for the actors and their performances.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
10
0th
Von Trier is by far my least favorite filmaker. I saw this in a screening thru the SAG Film Society. I've never seen more of our masses exit mid-film than at this one... There were some great performances going on, but chrimony! - pick-up the pace in editing Lars!!!
Rated 14 Aug 2007
5
0th
A catastrophic misuse of cinema, and directorial talent, wallowing along within its own bubble of self-importance. von Trier is a creative mind at times bordering on genius, but this is impotent, off-putting filmmaking. For a period it flops back and forth between tolerable mediocrity, and mind-numbingly vacuous faux stage-play antics, before descending into farce, alongside some truly heroicly awful moralism. You could say, a masterfully executed car crash, but I hardly think it was intended.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
98
96th
Unforgettably austere, moving, funny narrative exposing the hypocrisiesof American history. Nicole Kidman is fragile and strong at the same time.
Rated 09 Nov 2007
92
95th
Ugly and mean. I loved it.
Rated 02 May 2008
82
94th
The staging is incredible, the director takes us to an imaginary world and the performances are just masterful.
Rated 11 May 2008
85
97th
This is a near-masterpiece. The only flaw is the stylistic nature, not of the set, which didn't bother me, but of the characters' actions. Why they make the decisions they do make is sometimes too obscure, and the film similarly lacks most open emotional display, which makes it harder to second-guess all underlying motivation. Even the abuse is mostly symbolic. As it is, the film is a convincing indictment of idealistic social mores, the fantasy of not abusing a position of power over others.
Rated 26 May 2008
50
10th
I could never finish watching this, for being bored out of my skull, and not having much impetus in the sense of others recommending it, I let it lie.
Rated 09 Dec 2008
6
95th
I've never been more conflicted on how I sit with a film, I just know this is important [also glad to see Kidman in something memorable again].
Rated 25 Dec 2008
90
94th
A scathing portrayal of simple people in a chalk outlined small town. The story unfolds with outrageous symbolism to conclude that humans are basically evil by nature. Although I wouldn't agree with the generalization completely, there certainly are enough people like these Dogville residents in the real world to make this movie hauntingly realistic.
Rated 27 Jul 2009
10
0th
Almost deliberately terrible.
Rated 07 Sep 2009
91
97th
Disturbing. Innovative. Beautiful. Von Trier.
Rated 10 Nov 2009
2
49th
It's amazing that this manages to be engaging for three hours, considering its lack of sets and simplistic story. It's von Trier once again putting a woman through the ringer, which is once again both annoying and highly effective. The cast is fantastic, although a part of me feels sorry for Kidman, who obviously had no idea what she was signing up for.
Rated 11 Nov 2009
20
11th
one of a few movies i couldn't stand watching to the end, kidman was just terrible with that disgustingly unreal goody two shoes character.dialogues pissed me off as well
Rated 17 Nov 2009
90
57th
Lars von Trier is one of those directors I can't say I love, but I deeply respect. Dogville is a damn tough movie to watch, but it's brilliant and though it's long, it's just worth it.
Rated 10 Jan 2010
28
19th
shut the fuck up
Rated 02 Mar 2010
80
84th
This is a parable about how evil begets evil but it is also a deeply critical reflection of the U.S. Von Trier has been criticized for his portrayal of small town Americans but a lot of it is a reflection of the darkest reality rather than something that can be applied to all Americans. The reduction of his film to a stage play to open up the actors for scrutiny is interesting and not completely unlike his other film Dancer in the Dark which both have roots in stage tragedies.
Rated 07 Apr 2010
85
90th
I wasn't thilled with the set, for obvious reasons,the narration, and I was perplexed by the main character's responses throughout the majority of the film. But the excellent ending cleared up a lot of character motivations for me and was too awesome for words. A movie that was made for the patient
Rated 30 Nov 2010
40
97th
"This acerbic "illustration" of a small town's curious notions of entitlement unspools as a Christian allegory by way of Mark Twain or Dr. Seuss." - Ed Gonzalez
Rated 28 Feb 2011
88
78th
A look into one small, American town's fall from grace ... both figuratively and literally.
Rated 13 Apr 2011
90
58th
There is no running away from our animal nature? Like Lord of the Flies, Dogville provides a plain, harsh explanation to depth of human mind and nature. It feels hard to follow up in the beginning, but great actors and great directing ended up with a clearly told story.
Rated 13 May 2011
92
87th
Absolutely amazing.
Rated 21 Jun 2011
100
98th
100 is not enough!
Rated 15 Sep 2011
93
96th
A bed-time story for adults. Its messages and politics are obvious, but are incredibly well delivered in a sublimely clever and cruel narrative.
Rated 24 Sep 2011
95
93rd
Von Trier refuses to spoon feed allegories or philosophies, instead offering up a bleak, nauseating, enigmatic masterpiece, and throwing it to the dogs.
Rated 18 Apr 2012
80
88th
I would love to show this to an average filmgoer. I imagine this would be the same level of torture to them as 'Transformers' would be to the educated. Taking place entirely on a minimilisic stage-set, and with a running time of 3 hours, 'Dogville' is yet more evidence to the fact that, no matter what your opinion on von Trier is (I personally think he's a genius and one of the best directors going), you can't deny that all of his films are unique and heaving with originality...and rape.
Rated 03 Sep 2012
94
95th
Gothic folk poetry. This is rural Americana stripped down to the very bone. The minimalist set-up of Dogville on stage is not only an interesting visual choice, it's also thematically symbolic of the thin walls and transparency that exist in a community this rustic. Amazing narration by Hurt takes this to a level of excellence. By the end the viewer is transformed and may find theirself looking in the mirror, questioning their own morals and feelings about what just unfurled before their eyes.
Rated 24 Feb 2014
90
93rd
Holy shit. A Lars Von Trier film I didn't absolutely loathe. As a matter of fact this movie was pretty amazing and probably the most humanizing movie of his I've seen. I loved the minimal style. I never hated a character as much as I hated Grace, with all her frailty, and then completely flip me on my head. See Lars? You don't need to be a pretentious douche relying on drawn out cinematography and #deep metaphors in order to make a great movie. A nice moral quandary will do just fine.
Rated 15 Sep 2014
30
18th
I hated the ridiculous lack of set and scenery which ruins the experience. It's basically a play on a stage. I could not get past this huge gaping flaw. The stupendously awful director completely destroys any sense of believability or immersion. Mostly points are for the beautiful Nicole Kidman, the charismatic James Caan, and Paul Bettany. Maybe you can forgive the horrific lack of visuals and pretentiousness, but I plan to avoid everything from Lars Von Trier in the future.
Rated 10 Dec 2014
90
96th
It doesn't happen every day that you see your entire vision on life's meaning, art and the human condition painted out on a screen. Some people may call Dogville manneristic, pretentious, far-fetched, or even boring. But the film entirely relies on one's affection towards Von Trier's perception of the universe. In the end, an artist communicating and expressing his thoughts through his chosen medium is the very essence of art itself. This is why I adore cinema so much.
Rated 26 Dec 2014
100
98th
Dogville is such a movie. This is my second favorite movie of all time.
Rated 18 Feb 2015
92
97th
This one kept me thrilled for the entire runtime. It's like a play in the spirit of Brecht and Dürrenmatt, where a dangerous, yet shockingly comprehensible group dynamic unfolds. And Kidman was awesome here. A reserved, but powerful performance.
Rated 24 Sep 2019
80
78th
part one: where grace becomes eligible for the gangsters health insurance covered therapy plan
Rated 03 Apr 2020
85
92nd
Fiendishly clever.
Rated 10 Apr 2020
90
90th
Lars illustrates such a clever masterpiece, minimal yet manipulative, and philosophically rich. No meat is left on the bone in any given community aspiring beyond their normality. I don't doubt the polarizing remarks this film receives, but I am really fascinated by this one.
Rated 09 Jun 2020
85
84th
By its explosive conclusion, Dogville manages to conjure up a deep philosophical conundrum: How do we process the ethical problem of revenge killing when it is inextricably linked to the essential metamorphosis of the protagonist's identity? Where most films solve this superficially by serving revenge with a sort of cinematic jouissance, LVT remains firm that revenge is best served cold.
Rated 21 Oct 2020
90
94th
Narrator: "Whether Grace left Dogville, or on the contrary Dogville had left her - and the world in general - is a question of a more artful nature that few would benefit from by asking, and even fewer by providing an answer. And nor indeed will it be answered here."
Rated 09 May 2021
98
99th
"If there's any town this world would be better without, this is it." (Seen engraved above the city hall doors in Phoenix.)
Rated 02 Sep 2022
85
94th
Un violent uppercut, dans un trou noir. Nicole Kidman est fascinante et imprévisible, Von Trier n'est pas toujours un génie, mais quand il s'y met, c'est violent !
Rated 28 Apr 2007
96
95th
This was hilarious! But seriously, fantastic movie.
Rated 01 Jun 2007
100
94th
o la la !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rated 27 Jun 2007
95
96th
Brilliant. Von Trier's best.
Rated 31 Jul 2007
11
0th
Shot in Von Trier's famous Dogme 95 style, with no sets, shot on location with a single, handheld camera. A simple story set against a Depression Era Colorado town where a woman is hiding from mobsters. Not worth your time.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
82
95th
Dogville, the 1st in a trilogy from director Lars von Trier, is a very ambitious and interesting film. Taking place on a stage with little to no props, the charcters of the film take on greater importance. The town of Dogville is a secluded place where they wind up taking in a stranger and then using her. Interesting social look at people. Great perfomances all around.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
83rd
Great performances, and the artsy-fartsiness doesn't grate.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
40
6th
Should have been a lot better.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
92nd
Perfect film representation of "Give people an inch, they take a mile"
Rated 14 Aug 2007
5
30th
Just not my cup of tea
Rated 14 Aug 2007
97
57th
The contrast between a sad reality of human exploration and hipocrisy and stupid atittude of 'smart' neighboors. Lars von Trier make a movie to critic american society, but other places, cities and countries have been identified with Dogville.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
64
42nd
It was pretty good, but I really don't think I will ever want to watch it again.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
67th
Unique way of filming and telling a story. I enjoyed the concepts more than the story but that's pretty par for the course for Lars Von Trier.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
98
85th
Man oh Man, Yes, Yes, this movie, Lars von Trier, thank you. Theatre, yes, yes, all of the right ingredients. Original, a masterpiece.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
32nd
I liked the sparse set and much of the dialogue. An interesting and unique piece of work.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
78th
Emotionally challenging. The chalk-on-ground set are not only good idea, but also have a sense in the movie. This movie remains in my head for years.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
60th
in my personal opinion, Lars von trier is the best director in the world today, yet, this movie is a little bit weaker than the others.a very good camera work makes you forget the theatrical experiment that is going on, but unlike his previous movies, I didn't really think that the end of the movie (powerfull in his own way) justifies all of Grace's sufferings.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
73rd
Lars's love letter to the USA, part 1.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
82
83rd
Great movie with intriguing characters and an awesome, vengeful ending. Not for everyone, though.
Rated 15 Aug 2007
85
77th
A simple story about how thin the limit between good and evil is.A book-like experience due to the original setting.
Rated 18 Aug 2007
89
88th
It's a thinker. a part of the dogme 95 film project, It demonstrates the power of movies to change people.
Rated 05 Jan 2008
100
99th
Outstanding cinematography and storytelling. A masterpiece.
Rated 14 Jan 2008
50
5th
like most o modern theatre - boring
Rated 16 Feb 2008
85
98th
Stunning original intelligent film doodah.
Rated 27 Apr 2008
75
73rd
Beautiful experiment of stage and screenplay... some quite painful moments in the film. The plot turns around a few times revealing awkwardness and awfulness... but overall this is a beautiful film on 'goodness'
Rated 28 Apr 2008
90
92nd
Different, not for all, no doubt, but i liked it.
Rated 09 Jun 2008
85
28th
Strange, of course, but it pulled me into the story. Great allegory.
Rated 10 Jun 2008
95
99th
Great. For a detailed reading, chapter five of Angelos Koutsourakis' 2011 PhD dissertation, "'A film should be like a stone in your shoe': a Brechtian reading of Lars von Trier", which can be downloaded at http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/7458/ The brechtian reading may be more obviously relevant to DOGVILLE and MANDERLAY than to his other works, but the thesis as a whole is worth a look. Turned into a book in 2013, 'Politics As Form In Lars Von Trier: A Post-Brechtian Reading', which I haven't read.
Rated 14 Jun 2008
86
96th
Great
Rated 12 Jul 2008
90
92nd
A striking, original, and thought-provoking morality tale.
Rated 29 Jul 2008
20
2nd
I felt asleep twice in the midle of the movie!
Rated 16 Sep 2008
65
92nd
brug tid
Rated 18 Sep 2008
74
46th
Open your mind first before watch this movie. Some say it's an idiotic scenary but I think it's fair to understand.
Rated 05 Oct 2008
50
8th
It was interesting and entertaining for once because it was so different from other movies, but I decided at the end that I don't like this style.
Rated 02 Nov 2008
50
13th
What a long movie, almost 3 hours ! The beginning and the end was good but the middle part was pretty boring. Luckily there was some action at the end of this film.
Rated 15 Jan 2009
73
43rd
Great acting by this guy is too damn preachy. He can suck my balls.
Rated 25 Jan 2009
80
88th
Either love this movie or hate it. Great work by Nicole Kidman.
Rated 30 Apr 2009
84
69th
Filmmed theatre play, sort of anoying for those who are use to movies with outdoors and productions. Acting is paramount and you get into the story once you brake the barrier of what you are seeing.
Rated 03 May 2009
100
90th
brilliantly stark demonstration of the consequences of giving oneself up totally to strangers, and then taking no responsibility for what happens. "people have the right to be held accountable..."
Rated 29 Jun 2009
83
60th
More misanthropic than anti-American imo. I miss Lars tossing us a nice character like he did in Breaking the Waves and Dancer in the Dark.
Rated 08 Jul 2009
3
74th
Memory says: Very good.
Rated 19 Jul 2009
60
68th
Disturbing and effective at time but mostly overly in your face.

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