Dancer in the Dark

[G. Couch]

Yet another, "has anyone seen this"? My brother and his wife really want to rent it but can't seem to find a copy (she is a big Bjork fan). I was going to buy it for them as a gift but wondered if it's worth it?....I heard good things but that is is a little strange as far as genre. (part musical and part drama?)

[Doug Nelson]

I liked it, even though I was virtually certain I wouldn't. It's definitely not a cheerful, fun movie, though. It's beautiful in a dark, dreary way, but also quite brutal.

The music is haunting and beautiful (typical for Bjork), but used here in an ironic and sad way. The expected disjointedness of musical and drama never occurs. The musical numbers make perfect sense in context.

Basically, a woman's life is so horrible, she escapes into her daydreams (the musical segments). The worse things get in her life (and they get pretty darn bad), the more thrilling and excellent the musical numbers become.

And don't go hoping for a feel-good ending.

[chiquitita]

I have to say, even though the musical element was a big point in the movie, I didn't care for it. I like some of Bjork's music, but in the movie it got to be too screechy for me. BUT, I thought it was a really great movie that I will probably never watch again, because I cried and cried about it. Very sad.