Idioterne (The Idiots)
| Year: | 1998 |
| Production Co: | October Films |
| Director: | Lar von Trier |
| Writer: | Lar von Trier |
Only Lars von Trier could line up and shoot down so taboo a topic as pretending to be disabled to scam people, much less call it The Idiots.
We meet the group of tricksters through Karen, a grieving mother lost in life after running away from everything she knew.
The group are all quite healthy mentally, but they get their kicks by going out into society pretending to be mentally ill in order to confuse, shock, scare and sadden people.
The power plays between members of the group eventually brings things undone, but not before they've all done some soul searching about their own reasons for what they do.
It's a lot easier to follow and enjoy than you think it'll be, and for anyone who likes the filmmaking school of angry, anti-western sentiment (of which von Trier is the most vocal and at times only proponent), it's essential.
Interesting also that the film lists no director, almost a fully collaborative and creative team. von Trier is only listed as the screenwriter.
We meet the group of tricksters through Karen, a grieving mother lost in life after running away from everything she knew.
The group are all quite healthy mentally, but they get their kicks by going out into society pretending to be mentally ill in order to confuse, shock, scare and sadden people.
The power plays between members of the group eventually brings things undone, but not before they've all done some soul searching about their own reasons for what they do.
It's a lot easier to follow and enjoy than you think it'll be, and for anyone who likes the filmmaking school of angry, anti-western sentiment (of which von Trier is the most vocal and at times only proponent), it's essential.
Interesting also that the film lists no director, almost a fully collaborative and creative team. von Trier is only listed as the screenwriter.