Rough-hewn morals

It should be interesting to compare Lars Von Trier's latest experiment with Mel Gibson's controversial Jesus-fest The Passion, due out in a few weeks. Both deal with individuals who believe they have access to a higher truth, but as Von Trier's stark, improvisational style is like that of no other director, the contrast is bound to be revealing.

The latest typically eccentric endeavour from the guiding light of the Dogme movement centres on Tom (Paul Bettany), an aspiring if undisciplined writer living in the small, ailing town of Dogville, Colorado. When a beautiful fugitive turns up on the run from the law, Tom coaxes the townspeople into hiding Grace (Nicole Kidman) as a way of proving a philosophical point. But what actually is proven is the corruptive influence of power as the townspeople begin to exploit Grace's dependency on them, and this is the moral nub of Von Trier's rough-hewn parable.

The story is as bare as the black stage, with minimal sets and background, where the action unfolds; this (and the jerky, obvious camera) takes some getting used to but, once we do, it provides another comment on his themes of knowledge, arrogance and power play - as does John Hurt's omniscient narration.

Dogville
Cert: 15