As soon as I believed that I have enough concentration to watch thought provoking, challenging movies, I went for Manderlay. If you're following a bit of independent movies, I'm sure you've heard how von Trier is famous by being controversial in film industry. This time he touches to a sensitive issue that's been still debated in usa: racism.The story is again in a little village where, through the end of the movie, people are submitted to their servile human nature. Many critics has been very harsh with von Trier claiming that he's so violent with the characters and puts the events vulgarly to the scene; also finding his movies unexcited blabla. I don't know if we should always expect some gangsters chasing some other guy with their guns in the real world, some real dirt, or some real furniture and houses in the movies. von Trier, for me, is putting a hard job on the actors' shoulders by using minimum real perspectives but a simple dark end theatric scene, so that you can focus on acting and the dialogues.
I don't want to talk about the history of racism in america, however I want to point to its view to slavery: How those newly liberated folks were helpless when it came to handle the idea of being "free" and how it got worse even under the name of "democracy". It's not a very different movie than Dogville in terms of human nature that the main characters had to face with. But I still prefer Dogville since the carefulness that's been spent to the movie and the story were much better, I think (in Manderlay, you can hear the prompter's voice 3 times). However with the guide of the narrator (John Hunt again) and the scene (painted white stripes to point out the states or houses and gardens), it stole my heart again. I hope the third movie of the trilogy will be taken from the shelf that it's been staying for 3 years and put it on this nice theatric scene again.
For those who wants to have further information on the subject, I suggest them to listen the song: The Dears - Whites Only Party
