"Dancer in the Dark" -- Storytelling of a Different Tune by Homer Yen (c) 2000
"In a musical, nothing dreadful ever happens," says the wispy-voiced, diminutive Selma (played by Icelandic diva, Bjork). You can feel the pain that occupies her mind and see the glint of desperation that glosses over her eyes. Her life is unquestionably grim as she slaves away in a metal factory.
To escape from reality, she conjures up fantasies of elaborate musical numbers set to the rhythm and beat of ambient sounds of her environment (the humming of machinery or the clacking of a passing railroad). It's all she can do to keep her sanity. She wishes that her life could be filled with the same kind of gaiety that characterizes those kinds of musical productions. But her reality is filled with a general sense of gloom and despair. Her inner strength is slowly waning, eroding against the tide of hardships that have mercilessly chipped away at her soul. She, with the doll-like appearance and romanticist disposition, is much too sweet to be dealt such a cruel fate. But in this depressing, angst-drenched tale of a woman's life turned upside-down, seldom will you find things to smile about.
"Dancer in the Dark" introduces us to Selma, a woman who, at first, is filled with hope in the way that fountains are filled with water. Yet, even water evaporates over time. She suffers from a hereditary ailment that is causing her to go blind. Her son will also succumb to its effects, but Selma works extra hard to save enough money to pay for an operation to save her son's vision. But Selma's failing eyesight creates all kinds of dangerous situations. Maybe she'll become injured working the heavy machinery. Or perhaps, she won't be able to get out of the way of an oncoming car or train. There is an overhanging sense of impending danger.
As her eyesight worsens, so too does her situation. After a series of costly mistakes, her employer fires her. Her warm-hearted, yet careworn landlord (David Morse) confesses that he's going bankrupt. He asks Selma for a small loan. It saddens her that she can not help. The money is for her son's operation. Her meager savings are all that she has. Without it, her world would collapse. However, her string of unfortunate events continues, spiraling this film towards its tragic denouement.
There are several notable elements that justify the praise it received at the Cannes Film Festival, for which it won best picture. Bjork is confident in her role, emoting the kind of feelings (her personal losses, her devotion to her son, her inner fight to deflect the pressure that is building upon her) that endears us to her plight. David Morse also turns in a fine understated performance. And, the inclusion of the musical numbers (composed and performed by Bjork) was unique. However, this is not a musical in the style of "The Sound of Music" or even "South Park: Bigger, Louder & Uncut" was. Rather, these numbers are merely manifestations of Selma's daydreaming. They are unique elements of the film, but not an essential component.
The real complaint lies within its headache-inducing camerawork. For most of the scenes, the director opts for handheld cameras (the dance sequences use stationary ones). Thus, many of the scenes look choppy as if you were looking at a home movie. Another huge distraction was that there were frequent, excruciatingly close close-ups. If Bjork had any freckles, you could count each one. Also, during an exchange of dialogue, the camera would continuously pan left and right as each person spoke. It was like watching a tennis match. You are forewarned to sit in the back of the theatre to minimize any potential motion sickness.
Film buffs will undoubtedly not want to miss this unique offering. It's a bold movie with several nervy ideas. But, given its disheartening theme, this film can only put you in a sad mood for the rest of the week.
Grade: C+
S: 0 out of 3 L: 0 out of 3 V: 2 out of 3
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