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Dancer in the Dark

Play trailer Poster for Dancer in the Dark R Released Oct 6, 2000 2h 20m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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70% Tomatometer 122 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.
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Dancer in the Dark

Dancer in the Dark

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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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Critics Reviews

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David Ansen Newsweek 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. Mar 7, 2018 Full Review Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: A Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Peter Matthews Sight & Sound 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. Dec 2, 2002 Full Review Theo Estes The Spool Dancer in the Dark critiques the relentless optimism of mid-century movie musicals, but it also puts the American cultural narrative under the microscope. Oct 8, 2020 Full Review A.S. Hamrah The Baffler Von Trier infamously harassed Björk while making this film, yet its power, insight, and prescience, unpleasant and hard to take, are undiminished... Sep 16, 2020 Full Review Michael J. Casey Boulder Weekly 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. Rated: 4/5 Jul 25, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dani G I loved it the first time I watched it (in theaters), but 25 years later it just doesn't feel the same. It's good, but I even found it a little ridiculous and annoying at some points. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/03/25 Full Review Insomniac X Dancer in the Dark's heartbreaking story leans closer to the tragedy of opera than the comedy of the classic musicals it references. Despite its striking imagery and virtuosic lead performance by Björk, the film's tone borders on cruel, and ultimately feels like an experience to be endured rather than enjoyed. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/03/25 Full Review jacob c While definitely not for all tastes, Dancer in the Dark may be a painful watch, but underneath all the melancholy lies a tragically beautiful song, and features unique cinematography and a standout performance from Björk. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/25/25 Full Review Pamela N Esta película duele y duele más por el hecho de que solo hace falta 1 hombre para arruinar tu vida. No importa la época… Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/15/25 Full Review thiago s Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas mas o drama do filme salvou um pouco, mas o musical deixou o filme fraco, o elenco não ajuda muito, e a história é mais ou menos, e com isso eu não recomendo esse filme. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/15/25 Full Review JOHN D Not a great movie, a bunch of hawks too, uh. 1:56/4:28/9:42/nhs member/journalism editor in cheif Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Dancer in the Dark

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Cast & Crew

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Lars von Trier

Director

Björk

Selma Jezkova

Catherine Deneuve

Kathy

David Morse

Bill

Cara Seymour

Linda

Peter Stormare

Jeff

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Movie Info

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)
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