Dancer in the Dark

2000

2h 20m

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

1.9K

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3 Videos

75 Images

Drama

Crime

Selma, a Czech immigrant on the verge of blindness, struggles to make ends meet for herself and her son, who has inherited the same genetic disorder and will suffer the same fate without an expensive operation. When life gets too difficult, Selma learns to cope through her love of musicals, dreaming up little numbers to the rhythmic beats of her surroundings.

Directors

Lars von Trier

Writers

Sjón(lyricist by)

Lars von Trier(writer by)

Lars von Trier(lyricist by)

Stars

Björk

Catherine Deneuve

David Morse

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Videos3

Photos75

Top cast

Selma Jezkova

Kathy

Bill Houston

Jeff

Oldrich Novy

Linda Houston

Gene Jezkova

Norman

Samuel

Brenda

District Attorney

Dr. Porkorny

Morty

Judge

Receptionist

Defense Attorney …

Suzan …

Angry Man

Directors

Lars von Trier

Writers

Sjón(lyricist by)

Lars von Trier(writer by)

Lars von Trier(lyricist by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews3

Review

Featured review

6/10

I have tremendous respect for Lars von Trier's work, and I deeply admire his courage in attempting to fuse drama with musical theater. "Dancer in the Dark" is nothing if not audacious. Unfortunately, ambition alone doesn't make a successful film, and this one fails both as a drama and as a musical. As drama, the film stumbles on two fundamental levels. First, the handheld, shaky camera movement is completely unnecessary. Von Trier broke other Dogme 95 rules throughout this film, so why cling to this one annoying restriction? The constant jittering ruins suspension of disbelief, pulling us out of the story when we should be immersed in Selma's tragedy. Second, and more damning, there's no redeeming value to the bleak outcome. What have we learned? This is Greek tragedy without the moral lesson—the protagonist dies, and we're left with nothing but emptiness. Catharsis requires meaning, and "Dancer in the Dark" offers none. As a musical, it fares no better. Musicals, even dark ones, require some happiness, continuity, or saving grace. The genre demands transcendence, a moment where song lifts us beyond suffering. Here, there is none. That said, Björk does a tremendous job with what she's given, and casting Joel Grey in the final courtroom musical number was absolutely brilliant, a meta-theatrical stroke that acknowledges the genre's history while subverting it. But brilliance in moments doesn't rescue a fundamentally flawed film. "Dancer in the Dark" is an admirable failure.

badelf31 Oct, 2025