Dancer in the Dark (2000)
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A struggling immigrant mother with a degenerative eye condition fights to save her son's sight while navigating a life of poverty and a tragic legal battle.
The story
In 1964 Washington State, Selma Ježková, a Czech immigrant, lives in poverty with her 12-year-old son, Gene. Selma suffers from a degenerative eye condition and works at a factory while secretly saving money for an operation to save her son's vision. She spends her time daydreaming of musical performances and participating in rehearsals for a production of The Sound of Music. As her vision continues to deteriorate, she faces increasing pressure from her employer and the reality of her situation, while attempting to maintain a sense of normalcy and hope for her son's future.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1964 Washington State, Selma Ježková, a Czech immigrant, lives in poverty with her son Gene. Selma suffers from a degenerative eye condition and works at a factory while saving for an operation to save her son's sight. She is pursued by Jeff and befriends Kathy. When Selma's boss, Norman, believes her condition has worsened, she is forced to confront the reality of her situation. After a theft involving her savings by a local officer, Bill, Selma kills him in a desperate struggle. She is later arrested and tried for murder. She is accused of being a Communist sympathizer and of faking her blindness. Despite her friends' efforts to find a lawyer, she refuses legal help to ensure her son's surgery proceeds. She is sentenced to death and eventually faces execution by hanging. Just before the execution, she learns that the surgery was successful, and she sings one final song on the gallows before being executed.
- First release year
- 2000
- Runtime (minutes)
- 140
- Production countries
- Denmark; United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Lars von Trier
- Writers
- Lars von Trier · writer
- Cast and characters
- Björk · Selma Ježková; Catherine Deneuve · Kathy; David Morse · Bill Houston; Peter Stormare · Norman; Joel Grey · Oldřich Nový
- Genres
- psychological tragedy; musical
- Themes
- sacrifice; maternal love; social class; capital punishment
- Tone and mood
- tragic; somber; dreamy
- Setting
- Washington State, 1964
- Premise and plot tags
- musical; drama; medical condition; immigration
- Source material / true-story basis
- The opera Selma Ježková by Poul Ruders
- Franchise connections
- Golden Heart trilogy
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews, with Björk's performance being widely praised. Critics noted it was a powerful and moving performance, though some found the storyline to be manipulative.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 69% · scale: percentage · review count: 120; Metacritic · score: 63 · scale: 100 · review count: 33
- Awards and nominations
- Best Original Song · Academy Award · nomination
- Production trivia
- The title refers to a 1953 film song.; The film was shot with a handheld camera inspired by Dogme 95.; The musical sequences were filmed with over 100 digital cameras.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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