“Dancer in the Dark” Anti-musical, anti-America *Note! Contains spoilers.

"Working with terrorists"

A talented film director born in Denmark and a talented artist born in Iceland. By starring the rare talent of Björk, ``Dancer in the Dark'' created a magic that far surpassed even Lars von Trier's talent. Of course, she had never acted before and was reluctant to accept the lead role. Although her position was to be the composer in charge of the soundtrack, Trier was insistent that she play the role of Selma, and it took an entire year of convincing her to star in the film.

"I only saw her in music videos, but she captivated me and continues to captivate me. That's all I can say. There's something girlish about her. She's very smart. I've never worked with someone like her." (*2)

However, during filming, the relationship between the two was at its worst. Lars von Trier testified that each morning before filming, Björk would spit on her, muttering insults like, "I despise you." The shooting of an important scene was delayed because she did not appear on set for three days. Trier herself was originally scheduled to appear in the movie theater as a member of the audience reprimanding Selma and Cassie, but fearing that she would lack control over Björk, she left this role to another actor. According to him, working with her was "working with terrorists."

"Dancer in the Dark" (c)Photofest / Getty Images

Björk also spoke of the significance of the film, saying, ``This film was a very interesting adventure for me'' (*3), but criticized Trier, calling him a ``complete fanatic.''

"We had different ideas about who Selma really was. I wanted her to be more of an artistic character, but Lars, a complete fanatic, wanted to make a character that he projected himself into, especially a woman. I wanted her to suffer. I couldn't accept that. Selma had had a hard life, and she used her imagination to escape into a fantasy world. I wanted something to happen, and in the end, Selma was executed. I thought that was too simple, too easy.'' (*4)

Her co-stars Catherine Deneuve and Peter Stormare described her performance as "emotional" rather than "theatrical." Although Björk is not a professional actor, she must have literally given her heart and soul to the role of Selma. She must have continued to suffer in the fictional world of movies, a ``world shrouded in malice and deceit'' prepared by a troublesome film director named Lars von Trier.

Honestly, I'm not a good audience for Trier. The blatant production that exposes human hypocrisy leaves me dizzy every time. But this movie is different. The artist Björk's inherent innocence and desperate resistance to malevolence make Dancer in the Dark a special film. This is probably because the two collaborated in the ultimate sense.

(*1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzZHFVxs5HA

(*2) https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/interview-lars-von-trier-comes-out-of-the-dark-81384/

(*3) (*4) https://www.bjork.fr/article1140

Text: Rui Takeshima

A pop culture writer who wants to be kicked by Hit Girl. Host of the web magazine "POP MASTER".

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(c) Photofest / Getty Images