The Idiots (1998)

Must See Movie...

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Lars Von Trier's THE IDIOTS is the second movie shot according to the rules of DOGMA 95. This chart, signed by Thomas Vinterberg, the author of the masterpiece FESTEN, and Lars Von Trier is the sign of a romantic reaction against today cinema. Vinterberg and Von Trier say no to computer helped movies, no to sound mixing and editing, no to everything that is the trademark of 99% of the movies produced each year.So, if you make the effort to accept images which are always moving because the camera is placed on the camera operator's shoulder, if you don't mind to have the sound operator appearing sometimes in the middle of a scene with his micro, you are ready to experiment THE IDIOTS. To be honest, I wasn't disturbed at all by the appearance of the microphone in certain scenes because it strangely adds to the documentary atmosphere of the movie. You will also accept as natural and not at all shocking the few sex scenes, not simulated nor censored - at least in the European copies - , of THE IDIOTS.The main argument of THE IDIOTS is, on the contrary, very disturbing. A dozen of Danish young boys and girls, deceived by the society they are living in, decide to take revenge of this society by creating uncomfortable situations. So, as soon as they are in public places, they are pretending they are mental deficient people and don't hesitate to enjoy the multiple advantages this lie can create. If I enjoyed a lot the comic scenes of THE IDIOTS, recognizing the hypocritical attitudes of our society towards its weakest members, I was in the same time ashamed of my lack of respect. And, in my opinion, THE IDIOTS is a very important movie because, unlike the vast majority of the non-Dogma 95 movies, this film will touch your heart and the roots of your morals.

At the close of Cannes 2011; Lars Von Trier's reputation as one of the most gifted yet controversial film makers around was firmly intact hitting new levels of outrageousness; however, it wasn't the first time he has managed to get the crowd at arguably the world's most prestigious film festival talking. In 1998 The Idiots aka Dogme #2 made its debut causing mass controversy; mass criticism; and mass discussion. Naturally for a film which caused such a stir it's an unusual watch. It's a strange sensation to be made to feel uncomfortable yet totally engrossed in a film and stranger still, feeling guilty for enjoying it. The term "guilty pleasure" is usually used to hide embarrassment e.g. captain of the school sports team loves a chick flick; yet here the term really is applicable.Credit to the cast who participated largely unaware of what the script would demand of them. We are introduced to Karen (Bodil Jørgensen, playing the films and our conscience) who is then caught up in an anti- middle class gang who spend their time in public 'spassing' out; in other words, pretending to be disabled (PC alarm bells ringing from the off then) in order to release their inner "idiots". Rule three of Dogme 95; a hand-held camera, works particularly well; from the off we are thrown right into the heart of the group, we might as well be made to feel as if we are documenting it.The film certainly makes an interesting comment on how social behaviour can restrict us and, for lack of a better word, the "licence" given to those struggling with mental illnesses to behave more outlandishly. The character's main release is to pose as those without social confinements in public; however the gang eventually do away with only doing it in view of the public eye; is it a hobby or an addiction? Certainly different members of the group enter into it with different motifs and levels of seriousness.The Dogme 95 movement on the whole polarised audiences so to say that The Idiots; one of the most famous of all Dogme films, will not be to everyone's tastes is an understatement. The actual subject matter will be off putting to some; a topic such as this being played for laughs in certain parts makes for uncomfortable viewing; even more so due to the fact that it is funny. The film also asks the question of how disabled citizens are treated by society; nearly fifteen years on and it isn't hard to imagine people still being perturbed at the thought of allowing mentally disabled yet completely harmless people to walk around their garden. Throughout the film Von Trier gives us uncomfortable laughs; mocks the middle class attitude to the disabled; and manages to throw in a shockingly graphic orgy. All of this building up to a real emotional sucker punch of a climax. It isn't until the closing scenes that the film stops trying to provoke the audience's brain and instead aims straight for the heart. If nothing else, The Idiots will get you talking; as if Von Trier would have it any other way. 8/10

Lars Von Trier is the king of controversy. He deliberately adds scenes that aren't needed at all just to create shock from the public, he did it in "Antichrist" by placing a pornographic 3 second shock of graphic sex. Here he's decided to do it again by adding idiotic images like a fully erect penis and a pornographic sex scene. They may not be very long shots but they are simply disgusting and not needed. This film has confirmed to me that Lars Von Trier, how ever good a film-maker he is, is a pervert! He's recently even stated that whilst working on his latest film "Melencholia" he'd love to see Kirsten Dunst in a 10 minute porn movie! That's before saying that he's a fan of Nazis (as a joke, yeah real funny Lars!).But here we're getting off the point of the film. What was the point anyway? I must've completely missed the brilliance of "The Idiots" because to me it seemed like an even more pointless "Jackass", watching pathetic idiots acting like mentally ill people by "spazzing" in public to find their inner idiot. There is little and almost no plot at all. It's a character piece, focusing on really unlikable people who have little interesting about them.The shaky camera seems entirely unnecessary with the boom mic and camera reflection clearly visible in some shots. The directing simply has no directing. Some intellectuals might consider it "sponataneous" and "different" but it's pointless and off-putting. The screenplay is also a complete mess. Maybe something got lost in translation but I couldn't particularly understand what was going on and what the point was of there actions.I also would not recommend watching this with other people because watching it by yourself is awkward enough. The final scene is really intense and not the good intense like "Black Swan" but really awkward and uncomfortable intense. It's horrible to watch and quite upsetting and I don't know why anyone would want their audience to feel that way. The reason for the extra mark was just for the power of the last scene and how the whole experience of seeing the film will take a while for me to forget.Intellectuals will only like "The Idiots", they will see things I can't see because to me it's a confusing, boring and senseless piece of film making with some disgusting imagery and perverted writing. Stay clear of "The Idiots" like you'd stay clear of an idiot.

It's easy to confuse the adjectives "controversial" and "thought-provoking". The difference is that the former is a concept manufactured by the media and the latter is the raison d'etre of film-makers like Lars von Trier. Ostensibly this is a film about a group of people pretending to have cerebral palsy. But obviously that's not what it's really about; and I think that only those without the inclination to seek one of many possible meanings would label it "controversial" on this basis. It's classic knee-jerk.The Idiots is a challenging indictment of middle-class hypocrisies and an enthralling deconstruction of the bohemian ideal.Early in the film the question keeps being asked: Why is what we're doing wrong? "Because you're poking fun." But who really comes out of the narrative looking idiotic? The stuttering patio-owner, fearful of a potential insurance claim? Josephine's father, who tears his weeping daughter away from her friends? Rarely it's The Idiots themselves, whose motivations are subtly sketched out as Stoffer's commune collapses around him.Stoffer himself is "anti-middle-class", suggesting he's simply afraid of growing up. There's the doctor, constantly writing notes, who may be treating the whole affair as some kind of social experiment. There's the marketing man, using the commune as an escape from the superficiality of his truly idiotic occupation. And there's Karen, our silent observer, whose own reasons for falling in love with The Idiots comes to flatten us in the final reel. This leads to a gripe: certain characters remain nothing MORE than sketches. I would have liked to see von Trier eschew some of the social confrontation scenes in favour of further narrative episodes.Some scenes - such as the door-to-door Christmas decoration sale, or the house-buyers' tour - may come across as crass and cruel, but they're fascinating insofar as they present the hypocrisies that lie in the heart of us all.Perhaps the impact of The Idiots' public "spassing" is softened somewhat in these post-Borat/Bruno days. But von Trier is a trickier customer than Baron Cohen. As such, we laugh aloud, but we're never quite sure of who we're laughing - or, indeed, if we should be laughing at all. Watch this, and then watch how all other films seem quaint by comparison.