Dogville

Dogville is a 2003 experimental arthouse drama film written and directed by Lars von Trier. It features an ensemble cast led by Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Paul Bettany, Chloë Sevigny, Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier, Ben Gazzara, Patricia Clarkson, Harriet Andersson, and James Caan, with John Hurt as the narrator. The film employs an extremely minimal, stage-like set to tell the story of Grace Mulligan (Kidman), a woman on the run from mobsters who finds refuge in the tiny mountain town of Dogville, Colorado, in exchange for physical labor. The film is the first installment in Trier's incomplete USA: Land of Opportunities trilogy. It was followed by Manderlay (2005), though the intended third part, Washington, was never produced. Dogville premiered in the main competition at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. After screenings at various film festivals, it received a limited release in the US on 26 March 2004. Dogville received highly polarized reviews from critics upon its release. While some deemed it pretentious, self-absorbed or exasperating, others hailed it as a work of art, spectacular or masterpiece. Over time, the film has grown in stature and was included in the 2016 BBC poll of the greatest films since 2000. Filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino and Denis Villeneuve have praised the film.