The other day I came across a Google News ad announcing the release of a new filmic manifesto called Dogma25 (for the current AD 2025), written by a small group of film-makers who were evidently mirroring the original Dogma95. This I recalled involved Lars Von Trier, Haneke or another one of those directors that make f’d-up films. Now, I have opinions about this new Dogma25, both due to its content and its authors. But I will leave it at that, because my main opinion is that it is not worth much attention.
However, this newsflash prompted me to recur in an activity, something I have done for as long as I remember, reading the plot synopsis of movies I most probably won’t be watching. These films are either (1) horror movies, which I don’t enjoy watching but I feel have a place in keeping with the zeitgeist, (2) films that look bad but the title and premise are outrageous and thus enticing, and (3) films by Von Trier, Haneke, and the like, meaning psychological terror(ism) movies.
So, I went to the Von Trier IMDB page, and of course I read the entire plot synopsis of Nymphomaniac Volumes I and II, which happened to be extremely detailed and long. Safe to say this left me more than a little stunned, a little fucked-up, excuse me, it left me more than a little (although only temporarily) mega-depressed. Now I’m exaggerating but I want to convey that this is not a fun read. I wish I could say I was led by an indescribable feeling something good might come out of this reading but no, the main drivers for my synopsis excursion recursion were my old friends curiosity and boredom helped by a great deal of patience, and ballasted (?) no, buttressed or even flying-buttressed (!) by an initially serene state of mind.
If you are also a bit curious, the story ends with Joe, the eponymous nymphomaniac (sic.) murdering the guy that had just picked her beaten-bloody self from the street, and then listened attentively and kindly to her entire life-story. She kills him and runs away because he, a lifelong asexual person, was going to try to rape her. There comes a point in her life story where she cannot orgasm yet she continues having sex in hopes this will change by using ever more extreme practices. She has a young son at this time, and a husband who’s abusing ways do not come close to the ones she chooses for herself. (With only the extensive synopsis at hand) I believe this attempt at “fixing herself” ties-in to her final actions as she has an opportunity, in a way, to help out someone else with their sexual issues. And yes, of course he could have been significantly more tactful, but she, by way of murder, denies the guy (Stellan Skarsgard by the way) the pleasure (?) of losing his virginity to a person who has had epic, generational, roman legion-sized, amounts of intimate relationships.
After recovering from that, I went to look at the Dogma95 Wikipedia page to see if it said you had to be an absolute sicko to adhere to it. I found no such thing but I did find Thomas Vinterberg’s name, and the name of a movie which had been recommended to me several times. Multiple recommendations from independent and trusted parties is one sure way to bump a piece of media to the top of the list. The combination of serendipitously coming across the director’s name, my state of mind at the time (which in one word would be a tired/despondent/tragic “whatever”), meant I just had to watch this movie asap.
Another Round (2020), a review, coming soon.