The Idiots
Lars von Trier, 1998, 117 min

The Idiots is set in a Danish commune in which the members engage in acts of “spassing” (feigning mental and physical disabilities in public settings) to confront the hypocrisies of bourgeois society. The “good woman” in this instance is Karen, an introverted newcomer to the group with a dark secret. Although he had employed many of the techniques put forth in the Dogme 95 manifesto both before and after this film’s release, The Idiots is the only film the director produced under the movement’s collective banner.

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Screening as part of our Close-Up on Lars von Trier