DVD Release Date: March 20, 2001
Length: 140 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for some violence.
In this melodrama with musical numbers, Bjork portrays Selma, a woman who is going blind from an eye disease. Selma's young son has inherited the disease, and she's struggling to earn enough money for him to have an operation that will prevent him from going blind, too. But soon Selma is swept up in a series of events that lead to tragic consequences. In theaters this movie was a must-see for cinephiles and the art-house crowd, and now it can be seen by a larger audience on home video.
Dancer in the Dark Capsule ReviewIcelandic pop singer Björk gives an extraordinary performance in Dancer in the Dark, a challenging English-language movie from Danish writer-director Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves). Even though the film drew catcalls as well as applause when it screened at the Cannes Film Festival, it nevertheless was awarded the Palme d’Or, and Björk won Best Actress. Some people are going to hate Dancer in the Dark because of its strange and unexpected mix of styles, and I must admit that during my first viewing, I often felt uneasy and frustrated. But on my second pass through the film, I really started to like it a lot, and I highly recommend it to viewers willing to be a little patient with a movie that steadfastly refuses to bow to conventionality.
More: Read a full-length review of Dancer in the Dark.
