Dogville

I'm still trying to process Dogville. I don't think I've ever seen Nicole Kidman seem so weightless and facile. But I think she was directed that way. She plays a character who comes to the small town of Dogville and becomes a sort of magic force to everyone for a while. She helps a blind man deal with his blindness, she gives womanly support to a restless girl, she babysits, she rakes, she listens, she offers endless kindness. What's striking is her passivity. She responds to everyone but initiates nothing. A love scene where she says "I love you too" seems puzzling because her voice is so light and affectless when she says the line. It's like she's just going through the motions of classic scenes.

But that's what's fascinating about the movie. It doesn't do so many things other movies do. It has no dimensions -- the town is drawn on a black floor with chalk. The houses are pretend. The characters are sunk into stereotypes of bitter, closed mountain people. There are no scenes (well, few) where someone reveals a secret or a depth of humanity. It's like an outline of a movie, like the houses are just outlines of houses.

The beautiful faces say lines that are provocative or seem to resonate with some meaning, or then they'll say things that sound like empty posturing. What does von Trier intend? Does he want this to hang together or was he just playing with ....

Unfortunately, I had to watch it on dvd in sections because my sister's family came when I was 3/4 of the way through. I watched some while I was tensely waiting for them to arrive. I watched the final hour last night, just before I had to take it back to the store or pay another day's fine. So it wasn't optimal viewing conditions.

Usually I go to Rotten Tomatoes and devour as many reviews as I can. Or no, just the good ones. I read the Salon reviewer and the NY Times and the Wash. Post (they leave their reviews up). I love to read smart commentary on a film. But with Dogville I don't want my head filled with ideas about the movie till I've made up my own mind.

I also saw Knocked Up last night. I loved it. I found it very moving, and not even in the big moments, but just the sweetness of the guy, Ben, and the woman's incredibly good-sportsmanlike decision to love him.