“Dancer in the Dark” is a tragedy told through song, and it wants you to feel the weight of that choice. Lars von Trier’s 2000 film follows Selma Jezkova, a Czech immigrant working in a Washington factory in 1964, as she loses her eyesight while saving money for an operation that could save her young son’s. The movie is a psychological drama wrapped in musical numbers, and it is often brilliant even when it overreaches.
The film is the final installment in Trier’s “Golden Heart” trilogy, following “Breaking the Waves” and “The Idiots.” It premiered at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d’Or and Björk took the Best Actress Award. That reception tells you something about the movie’s reach — it landed big at Cannes and smaller elsewhere, a pattern that holds through its entire run.
Trailer, via Austin Film Society.
Selma’s World
Selma is played by Björk, and she carries the film from beginning to end. She works at a factory alongside her friend Kathy, nicknamed Cvalda, played by Catherine Deneuve. Selma rents a trailer on the property of Bill Houston, a local police officer, and his wife Linda. Her son Gene shares her degenerative eye condition, and the operation Selma saves for could stop him from going blind too.
David Morse plays Bill, Peter Stormare plays Jeff, a man who pursues Selma, and Cara Seymour plays Linda. Joel Grey appears as Oldrich Novy, and Željko Ivanek plays the district attorney. The cast is strong across the board, but the film belongs to Björk, who delivers a performance that critics singled out as the standout reason to see it.
The film’s tagline, “In a world of shadows, she found the light of life,” sums up the central tension. Selma finds solace in musicals, singing and dancing to the rhythms around her, but the world outside her trailer door keeps growing darker.
Musical Numbers
The film is a musical, but it is not a musical comedy. Selma sings and dances through her daydreams, imagining herself in bright, joyful productions, even as her life grows harder. The music comes from the soundtrack album “Selmasongs,” which Björk wrote mainly on her own, with contributions from Mark Bell and some lyrics from Trier and Sjón.
The song “I’ve Seen It All,” performed and co-written by Björk, Trier and Sjón, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. It lost to “Things Have Changed” by Bob Dylan from “Wonder Boys.”
The songs land unevenly. Some, like the ones tied to Selma’s daydreams, feel natural and moving. Others feel forced, inserted into scenes where they don’t serve the story. The film’s approach to music is a gamble, and not every bet pays off.
The Handheld Camera
Trier shot “Dancer in the Dark” with a handheld camera, inspired by the Dogme 95 movement. The style fits a story about a woman trapped in a small, oppressive world, and it keeps the audience close to Selma’s experience. It is a deliberate choice, and it mostly works.
The handheld camera gives the film a documentary feel, which suits a story about a working-class woman trying to hold her family together. It is not flashy, but it is effective.
The Tragic Turn
The film builds toward a tragic conclusion that critics have debated for years. Selma’s situation grows desperate, and the people around her begin to see how badly her eyesight has declined. She has been memorizing eye charts to pass her vision tests and keep her job.
Bill Houston reveals that Linda’s spending has put their house in danger of foreclosure by the bank. He has considered suicide but cannot bring himself to carry it out. Selma promises to keep his secret and confides in him about her advancing vision loss. Bill watches her hide her money in a tin, and the next day her boss Norman accepts her resignation, paying her final wages but promising to rehire her once her sight improves.
Kathy accuses Norman of firing Selma. Selma walks home along a railroad bridge, turning down Jeff’s offer to drive her there. She opens the tin to add her money to it, and the film reaches its climax.
The Soundtrack
The soundtrack, “Selmasongs,” is the film’s other major achievement. Björk wrote most of it herself, with contributions from Mark Bell and lyrics from Trier and Sjón. The songs reflect Selma’s inner world, her fantasies and her fears.
The music is not background. It is part of the narrative, and the film asks you to take it seriously as a storytelling device. Whether that works depends on your patience for musical interludes in a drama about blindness and poverty.
Reception and Legacy
“Dancer in the Dark” received generally positive reviews, with Björk’s performance singled out as the standout reason to see it. The film’s reception at Cannes was strong, but its wider release was less celebrated. The film’s mix of tragedy and musical numbers was too strange for some audiences to accept, and it remains a divisive entry in Trier’s catalog.
The film’s score is worth noting. “I’ve Seen It All” was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to Bob Dylan’s “Things Have Changed” from “Wonder Boys.” The nomination was a highlight of the film’s awards season run.
The Verdict
“Dancer in the Dark” is a bold, ambitious film that does not always land. Björk’s performance is the reason to see it, and the handheld camerawork and the soundtrack have their moments. But the film’s structure — musical numbers scattered through a tragedy — is a gamble that does not always pay off.
The film’s ambition is real. It wants to make a tragedy feel musical, and a musical feel tragic. It mostly succeeds, but not always. The score is a strength and a weakness in equal measure.
The film’s legacy rests on Björk’s performance and its place in Trier’s career. It is a worthy entry in the director’s catalog, even if it does not reach the heights of “Breaking the Waves” or “The Idiots.”
| Element | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Björk’s Performance | The standout reason to see the film | None |
| Handheld Camerawork | Fits the story’s claustrophobic world | Can feel repetitive |
| Soundtrack | Adds depth to Selma’s inner world | Songs sometimes feel forced |
| Tragic Structure | Bold and ambitious | Not always successful |
“Dancer in the Dark” is a film that rewards attention and punishes indifference. It is not for everyone, but for those who stick with it, it offers a powerful performance and a memorable tragedy.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
