Dancer in the Dark

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Dancer in the Dark

R

2000

2h 20m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

120 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Selma is a Czech immigrant, a single mother working in a factory in rural America. Her salvation is passion for music, specifically, the all-singing, all-dancing numbers found in classic Hollywood musicals. Selma harbors a sad secret: she is losing her eyesight and her son Gene stands to suffer the same fate if she can't put away enough money to secure him an operation. When a desperate neighbor falsely accuses Selma of stealing his savings, the drama of her life escalates to a tragic finale.

Critics Consensus

Dancer in Dark can be grim, dull, and difficult to watch, but even so, it has a powerful and moving performance from Bjork and is something quite new and visionary.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

03/07/2018

Dancer is like no other movie around. Shot in bleached-out video colors in rough, hand-held style, the film is at once aggressively modern and deliberately, melodramatically, old-fashioned.

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Peter Matthews

Sight & Sound

12/02/2002

The situations that writer-director Lars von Trier serves up here might be embarrassingly florid, but the coupling of his manipulative skills and Björk's showy intensity results in a movie with the force of an emotional bulldozer.

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Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

03/19/2002

2.5/4

At least Dancer in the Dark is bad in a complicated way.

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Theo Estes

The Spool

10/08/2020

Dancer in the Dark critiques the relentless optimism of mid-century movie musicals, but it also puts the American cultural narrative under the microscope.

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Michael J. Casey

Boulder Weekly

07/25/2020

4/5

Björk plays Selma, a Czech immigrant suffering from a degenerative eye disorder. It's a rare, hereditary disease, and it'll steal her sight but not the song in her heart.

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Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

08/05/2019

4/4

A sweeping denunciation of the myth of the American dream-the idealized America put forth by escapist Hollywood fare.

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Lay L

@Lawrence69 4d

Must see. Great storytelling character development & real acting

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Noah H.

@Noah85 Jan 26

Great music by Bjork and really cool visuals but the ending was WAAAAAAAY too depressing for me.

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Richard M.

@Poncy Dec 6

Excellent movie and outstanding performance from Bjork

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Roberto d

@RT16186931 Nov 9

Absolutely incredible and devastating movie. Bjork shine so bright with her shy and valorous Selma. Bjork delivers amazing songs and Spirituous act. All that you don’t expect of a musical. A Beautiful and Brutal movie. You must watch it.

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Tom F

@RT55173143 Nov 7

If you want to see Bjork play a factory worker going blind with occasional reveries in the form of elaborate musical numbers, this is the movie for you.

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Yossam I

@Yossam Oct 17

Denmark's enfant terrible Lars von Trier finally won the Camme Palme d'Or for this postmodern deconstructive musical featuring a stunning performance by Bjork.

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Lars von Trier

Director

Björk

Selma Jezkova

Catherine Deneuve

Kathy

David Morse

Bill

Cara Seymour

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Synopsis

Selma is a Czech immigrant, a single mother working in a factory in rural America. Her salvation is passion for music, specifically, the all-singing, all-dancing numbers found in classic Hollywood musicals. Selma harbors a sad secret: she is losing her eyesight and her son Gene stands to suffer the same fate if she can't put away enough money to secure him an operation. When a desperate neighbor falsely accuses Selma of stealing his savings, the drama of her life escalates to a tragic finale.

Director: Lars von Trier
Producer: Peter Aalbæk Jensen, Vibeke Windeløv
Screenwriter: Lars von Trier
Distributor: Fine Line Features
Production Co: Trust Film Svenska, Pain Unlimited GmbH Filmproduktion, France 3 Cinéma, arte France Cinéma, Zentropa Entertainment France, Zentropa Entertainment, Slot Machine
Rating: R (Some Violence)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 6, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.2M
Runtime: 2h 20m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)