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Dancer in the Dark

Dancer in the Dark

Drama · Crime · 2000

Selma, a Czech immigrant on the verge of blindness, struggles to make ends meet for herself and her son, who has inherited the same genetic disorder and will suffer the same fate without an expensive operation. When life gets too difficult, Selma learns to cope through her love of musicals, dreaming up little numbers to the rhythmic beats of her surroundings.

Movie details

Dancer in the Dark

“In a world of shadows, she found the light of life.”

2000 Drama · Crime 2h 20m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.8 / 10

Community rating

Selma, a Czech immigrant on the verge of blindness, struggles to make ends meet for herself and her son, who has inherited the same genetic disorder and will suffer the same fate without an expensive operation. When life gets too difficult, Selma learns to cope through her love of musicals, dreaming up little numbers to the rhythmic beats of her surroundings.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Dancer in the Dark?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Lars von Trier

Written by

Lars von Trier

Björk

Björk

Selma Jezkova

Catherine Deneuve

Catherine Deneuve

Kathy

David Morse

David Morse

Bill Houston

Peter Stormare

Peter Stormare

Jeff

Joel Grey

Joel Grey

Oldrich Novy

Cara Seymour

Cara Seymour

Linda Houston

V

Vladica Kostic

Gene Jezkova

Court is in session

Put Dancer in the Dark on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.