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In 1995, Danish writer/director Lars von Trier established Dogma, a oddly restrictive anti-establishment filmmaking manifesto that requires its participants to take a vow of chastity forbidding the use of, among other things, props, sets, artificial sound and light, lens filters and superficial action, all while filming with one handheld camera. To date, it's worked wonders – producing von Trier's phenomenal Breaking the Waves, Thomas Vinterberg's The Celebration and 1999 Cannes favorite Mifune. von Trier's decree also forces its filmmakers to give up the idea that they are creating art `at the cost of any good taste and any aesthetic considerations.' Yikes!
After watching The Idiots you could get the impression that von Trier is probably more than a little like the film's lead, Stoffer (Jens Albinus). Stoffer is the ringleader of a very bizarre co-ed communal household of fellow Danes that have shunned the normal life for that of relative idiocy. That's right – I said idiocy. The David Lynch lookalike Stoffer and his housemates venture out into civilization for the sole purpose of acting like retards.
Now before you get all upset, think back to Matt Dillon telling Cameron Diaz about his little friend `Mongo,' and tell me that you didn't laugh up a lap full of popcorn. Acting retarded isn't wrong. In fact, Adam Sandler gets $20 million per picture to do it. Someday you might even encourage your kids to do the same.
But these idiots are different than Sandler's. They're probably closer kin to Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt in The Impostors – people using their skills to con themselves into positions that are generally unobtainable by the average Joe (or, in this case, your average Bjørn). Acting retarded is handy when you're dining out and want to skip out on the check. It can also get you access to tour a factory that would otherwise be off-limits.
Don't get me wrong – this movie shouldn't make you think of Pauly Shore. It's a fascinating character study that makes you wish that the film could continue on after the credits role, just so you could learn more about what makes these people tick (the handheld filming gives The Idiots a very real, documentary feel). Why is Stoffer so hell-bent on obtaining perfect idiocy? Why do the young lovebirds Jeppe (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) and Josephine (Louise Mieritz) still act retarded during their first romantic encounter? Why does Karen (Bodil Jørgensen) seem so willing to be kidnapped by the idiots during one particular scam? Trying to answer these questions is pretty futile once the full-penetration scene hits the screen. But I'm not complaining…
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