De ydmygede (1999) - full transcript
This documentary follows the making of
Lars von Trier's Dogma film THE IDIOTS
Lars von Trier recorded a diary,
which was made available for this film
The idea originates from a time
when I had a summer cottage -
- near something called Marjatta.
I don't know if you know it -
- but it's an institution.
A mental institution or home.
They follow a guy
named Steiner's theory.
They think of mongols as angels.
They say they are a gift to Mankind.
This is what it's all based on.
The fact that they are a gift.
Hello, we are from a commune
for the mentally handicapped.
- We're selling Christmas decorations.
- How much?
- How much are they, Ped?
- £600. And 50 pence.
- They cost £2.
- Pop inside and get £2.
- And 50 pence and 50 pence.
- And 50 pence.
Let's hope it lasts.
We've debased ourselves enough
in this shitty district.
- Cobbles?
- Look. They're too high.
The retards were out selling
and fell over. This one's too high too.
- Sulker sulker.
- Is anybody hurt?
"Is anybody hurt?"
- You've ruined it for them.
- What do they cost?
- £4 a piece.
- And 50 pence.
You forgot one.
Why the humiliation? No wonder head
cases get a distorted view of reality.
THE HUMILIATED
- This is Luis.
- Yes, I can see that.
- My name is Nikolaj.
- Hello.
Please take a seat
and have something to drink.
- Are you going to film everything?
- Just some of it.
- Beginnings and endings.
- Yes.
- You can't drink red wine from that.
- An ordinary glass will do.
Have you talked about the
dogma rules? No, there's no reason to.
It's based on technical rules which
e.g. don't allow us to mix the sound.
Just cut it.
The story begins and ends
with Karen, played by Bodil.
With her background, she
wouldn't normally take part in this.
It's all very strange to her.
For the others there is a certain logic
to it, but not for Karen.
Jens Albinus plays Stoffer.
To some extent
He is the philosopher behind all this.
If anyone has
psychological problems, it's Stoffer.
He's the closest we come to
a psychopath, if there is such a thing.
Then there's Susanne, who's
the only one who's not an idiot.
I see her as a childhood friend of
Stoffer's. She thinks he's fantastic.
At the same time she's tenderhearted.
She's a nurse and has worked
with people who really are retarded.
She's so good that the fact that
they're just playing retarded is OK.
And hopefully
she becomes good friends with Karen.
It's of the utmost importance
that we all can be convincing idiots.
By definition an idiot has an IQ of
0-25 and can just stare at the wall.
And that's no fun. We could
call them retarded or brain damaged.
There's only one way to do that.
No two. Either being retarded -
- or by studying real idiots.
There's no reason this group
should be especially good at it -
- but I want you to be, because
it makes my film more convincing.
And together we will work out
what your roles will be like.
We'll be as free as in the 70s.
This is absolutely
It's beyond my wildest imagination.
At night we'd have
to bring some lights in.
A phone room!
What's this? Skis! Imagine four
retards skiing on the road in July.
Here's a real stretcher.
Now you can get some sleep.
Make yourself at home.
Today is June 7.
I'm using this dictaphone -
- in a humble attempt
to continue my diary.
Yesterday all the actors were
at the house. It went well.
We attempted to define
each retard's personality -
- in order to vary them.
On Monday we start shooting.
I'm sitting here alone.
And it's finally cloudy.
It's nice to have a break, but at
the same time I want to get started.
We'll assign a number to each scene.
All right?
There'll be a lot of improvisations.
Let's just start
by giving each scene a clap.
Just write scene 1, take 1.
It's June 16. We had
our first shooting day today.
We're going to see the queen.
She lives here.
See the queen!
I have this document.
Good. That's fine.
I have just looked at the dailies,
and they were really sick.
Funny, but I didn't notice at the time
how much they were overacting.
Any poetry or potential interest
in spassing went out the window.
Shit.
It all seemed too easy anyway.
- I can't get much of a shot.
- I can move if I'm in the way.
If you sit down there,
I can put my feet here. Sit up.
This is best.
We talked about what went wrong
and the need for downplaying.
So I enjoyed filming a scene which
became more serious than intended.
The restaurant scene is
the starting point of the film -
- and was originally much funnier,
and is now less so.
This is the first sign that something's
unusual. You're trying to feed him.
- Therefore you shouldn't react.
- Stoffer just thinks: "This is wrong."
- "Nothing's happening."
- That's because of his upbringing.
And where he's coming from.
That's the essence of it.
You're here to have a nice lunch.
And at some point, some people
start having mental problems.
And that spoils things. Don't act
like you're turning your backs on them.
Just be ourselves.
- Hi.
- It's OK.
Hi. Hi.
- Come here, Stoffer.
- No.
You have the same problem as Jens.
When you're on camera -
- you think
you have to deliver. It's forbidden.
There's much more light here
than where Karen is sitting.
When you help clean up anyway and
hand him the napkin, he's pleased.
You react,
but slowly and incorrectly.
Shall I take him outside?
The object is to get her in the taxi.
It's really lame -
- but let's see if we can make it
plausible, if that's at all possible.
- You come from back here.
- Let's make up our minds first. Sorry!
Complete calm! No panic!
- Let me get in.
- Would you? Thanks.
Cut!
- No. That won't work.
- No, it won't.
- I'll hold on as tight as I can.
- Don't struggle with him by the car.
When he won't let go,
you just give in.
Let go, Stoffer. That's enough!
- It's all right. I can go with you.
- You're too kind.
Cut. That works. Let me try.
This time we'll film
a more dogma-friendly version.
- You've been zooming, haven't you?
- You told us we mustn't zoom.
- I never said that.
- You said no quick movements.
True. But this is a motorized zoom.
Scene 11, take 6.
And action!
I've started doing most
of the filming, and I enjoy it a lot.
But partaking in these long
sessions filled me with anxiety -
- due to the importance of my role.
It's amazing I'm willing to take it on.
And still be afraid to take part
in something that was my own idea.
But I guess that says
something about Trier's hysteria.
I still can't sleep at night.
That's why I'm sleepy now.
But now our working hours are
staggered, so I'm trying not to sleep.
But that probably won't work either.
I still fear cancer of the balls.
That's the way it's supposed to be.
I guess there's always something
which prevents life from being easy.
The breaks I've had in my life
have been bloody short.
I'd hoped that hard work,
which making this film certainly is -
- would help. And maybe it does.
I'm not exactly panic-stricken.
And I seem to get through the shoots
better than I had expected.
- Put it on properly.
- What did I do wrong?
- It's worn like this.
- Sorry.
For Christ's sake! I have to watch you
every minute or you mess up.
- I wasn't trying to mess up.
- You were!
It's June 24 and I've just seen
the dailies from Rockwool.
Claus Strandberg is brilliant
as the tormented guide.
Now I stopped
the production of Rockwool.
Everything is underplayed
and just the way I like it.
The retards are acting well and down
to earth. I'm pleased with Stoffer.
It was a great pleasure. And the
absurd conditions at the factory -
- contributed in making it funny,
easy and uncompromising.
It was just a great pleasure.
Cut!
Why doesn't Nana react to
a stranger's presence? Karen's.
- You do.
- No. But he reacts to Karen.
But not to Nana. Why does he
ask Karen to come, but not Nana?
Behave!
You'd bloody well better behave.
None of the others asks questions.
They maintain absolute silence.
- Could you define it for me?
- Bloody hell! We'll do it again.
- Get out, everybody.
- I just want an explanation.
- There is none.
- OK.
- One case of beer.
- Okay.
- A bottle of red wine.
- One?
Buy enough for your stay here.
- So vodka, beer
- Buy candy.
- Susanne?
- White wine or rosé.
Bread and lunch meat.
Do you have to bring your cigar?
- Pump it up.
- I'll hang it over the bar.
- Why do you need two lamps?
- What about the other one?
I hope there aren't any spiders.
It's like summer camp.
Can I have a bit ...?
I'm a bit cold.
You can cover yourself with me.
Put me over you.
Would Karen sit here alone?
If she were feeling thoughtful?
Yes, I think so.
She's been with the group all day.
It could start with the line:
"Why do you do it?"
I'd like to do that scene
without a rehearsal.
The camera is running!
Action.
Stoffer,
I'd like to ask you something.
- What's that?
- I was wondering
- Why do you make fun of retards?
- Why did you go with us?
In the factory?
Why do you think you did that?
Why did you go in there with us?
- Stop it, Stoffer.
- I'm just asking her why.
- It sounds like an interrogation.
- Cut!
- Scene 16, take 5.
- Action.
- Is it fun to be a retard?
- It's fun for me.
- More fun than when I'm not one.
- Cut!
Ask her again
why she willingly went with you.
It's been a relatively hard day.
We started with the scene -
- in which Stoffer explains the
philosophy behind the idiot complex.
We tried different approaches,
all of which were hopeless.
Each one portrayed Stoffer as a
phony, hopeless propagandist -
- faced with Karen's
authentic, spotless personality.
So that was no good.
What I was trying to do -
- was to couple it to Stoffer's project.
Because I have
a lot of pent-up feelings about this.
So what I'm doing is evading
the heart of the matter.
But the impression you're
conveying, which I think is wrong -
- is that it's great to be a retard.
That's not the point, in my opinion.
This is an investigation in which
we're trying to find the value of it.
It's not about acting up
in relation to the rest of the world.
Or not having things like mansions.
That's Stoffer's project.
But the basic idea is that there's
value in these borderline areas.
That's why she's stayed.
Because it's fascinating.
There's something
about it we find alluring.
But apart from that,
why has she stayed here?
- Do I say that?
- No. I'm just trying to work it out.
- You just found it interesting.
- Yes.
- And it is, isn't it?
- Yes.
The problem now is to make sure that
Stoffer is convincing in this scene.
Why does Stoffer defend
the moral aspect of it?
If Karen wins, and we don't believe
their justification, she would leave.
Why is it of secondary importance that
retarded people are a problem?
They're only a problem
because of our morals.
We'll have no retarded cashiers
because we demand efficiency.
Our morals prohibit them in having
a sex life and say they're ugly.
Aesthetics and morality
are being questioned.
You can give all the reasons you like
and good ones at that -
- but you can't compare reason and
feelings. Karen represents feelings.
When feelings and theory meet,
theory always loses.
It's just like defining love. Defining
it is like beating it into the ground.
In our discussion the actors revealed
their commitment to the idiot cause.
Why idiocy and the whole project
was important. I found it moving.
I understand Stoffer.
If she's just sitting there -
- I'd like to say: "Go home, Karen.
You're right. We are poking fun."
Maybe he should say that.
Yes! Because the film's point of view
is the girl who comes into the group.
We see it through her eyes.
When she asks the question:
"Why are you doing this?"
If she doesn't just accept it -
- Karen would feel rejected
and so would the audience.
We decided
to turn the situation around -
- so Stoffer didn't try to manipulate
Karen, at least not directly.
What, Josephine?
It's better if she stays because
she wants in on this life -
- rather than because
she's convinced by some theory.
The film becomes our argument.
- Why do they do that?
- Damn good question.
I feel sorry for people
who don't have our intellect.
So
So how...
So how can you justify
acting the idiot?
You can't.
The bit about having found
their inner idiot is a bit difficult.
- It sounds like. It smacks of
- Of everything we don't like.
The bit about being
a person of the future works.
And sitting in a wheelchair like Ped.
Who wouldn't like to do that?
So we moved our failed discussion
from inside to outside -
- where the ceiling was a mile high.
This was inspirational.
All the retards wandering
about reminded me of -
- Truffaut's
"Fahrenheit"-something -
- where people
are in the woods memorizing books.
It was very beautiful, insanely
naive and sentimental all at once.
These are gifts, inspirations that one
wouldn't have included in a script.
So the essence of the dogma rules
is that they give one lots of freedom.
And you'd better pull yourself
together or I'll be furious.
- You don't do a thing.
- Not even when she takes the mayo?
- No, let's see what happens.
- Hey! I want to be on TV too!
The less you try,
the more you'll succeed.
Quiet!
One more take.
You thank them too profusely.
When you rub it on,
treat it like suntan lotion.
Pick it up and hold it
for a second, so I can film it.
- I bet you hear that all the time.
- I quit!
- Are you trying to get attention?
- Feel how cold my fingers are.
Oh, your fingers.
I was told to tell you to play slower.
This film is much less calculating
than "Breaking the Waves"-
- and yet much more calculating.
That may be hard to understand.
It's allowing oneself
to go on a picnic of effects -
- with many references to Widerberg
and Tarkovski and fuck all.
While I was filming, I actually cried.
And since this is a diary -
- some honesty is required.
I got all choked up.
And suddenly afraid
for my talent.
I know this sounds terrible,
but after a scene like that -
- I'm afraid hubris will strike
like a fist from the sky -
- and annihilate me,
Just like a mosquito in the woods.
And then I think,
"Cancer! I'll get cancer now. "
But that's how I feel
at the end of a day like today.
A day in Trier's puppet theater.
- Good morning, everybody.
- Good morning.
The only item on today's agenda
is getting started at the same time.
For three days I've stressed
the importance of being on time -
- and today three people were,
and the rest were late.
It's impossible for you all
to be so late. It makes me furious.
At 9:00 I'm all fired up
for our next scene and now it's 9:37.
Fuck it!
Lene, how can we solve this?
We pick them at a designated time.
No, they have to wait
as long as they've kept us waiting.
- I was here early.
- Yes, you can go in.
- I have to wait half an hour.
- I'll wait ten minutes.
Wait inside.
We'll call you when we need you.
You can clean up the kitchen.
It's a mess.
The actors and I discussed their
dissatisfaction with my sarcasm.
They accused me
of being too hard on them.
But I don't blame myself too much -
- because at the same time
I'm also very nice to them.
- I'll do that then.
- You did just fine. I'm pleased.
- The others are the bad ones.
- You're right.
This is the least of my problems.
- Hello.
- Hello.
Is the house for sale?
I didn't see a sign out front.
Why is the van here?
Do you work with ...?
- It's for the mentally handicapped.
- What?
Retards are treated
differently today.
Completely different
from the policy in the old days.
The policy restricted the number
of institutions in residential areas.
Say "limit" the number.
They don't have any at all. Not one.
- Where's zayn ?
- The Seine is in Paris.
Nice meeting you.
We'll see you soon.
We'll see you
before you can count to ten.
- I feel pressured.
- You don't exactly agree to it
Don't say the lines
or I won't be able to use them.
I just think it's fun
to join in the improvisation.
- All set?
- Take it easy.
Sorry!
Nobody gives me any respect.
No! Stop it.
Sulker
Sulker
- Zayn .
- What is zayn ?
- In Paris?
- Frieze?
- Freeze?
- Frieze!
They look dangerous.
What do you think, Jesper?
- One of them had a puppy.
- That's the dangerous part.
The worst criminals always
have a puppy, and then suddenly
Your characters are the only people
who treat the retards decently.
And that's the funny part. You
dangerous types are decent guys.
- That's what we liked about it.
- And also what's funny.
The irony is that
you are portrayed as nice guys.
- They've all been bouncers.
- Doormen are despicable.
Well, some of them are.
In the beginning you are strong, silent
types and seem rather dangerous.
So we're afraid for him. He's
a reject, and so are you in a way -
- and therefore you feel a bond.
So what they're saying over there
There are five dots on one side,
and three on the other. Ready?
How about that?
What's the matter?
Do you have to pee?
You have to pee, don't you?
Right there.
Hand me the camera, will you?
- It's pretty small.
- Is there room for you beside him?
- So this is what we'll do. It's not
- Big. Quit harping about it.
- It looks bigger on camera.
- Lift his shirt up.
- Exactly.
- I mustn't block the light.
I stand right behind him
and help him from here.
And take your time. He has to piss,
but can't lower his trousers.
You have to give him a hand.
He can't hold it.
- No, he bloody well can't.
- Not a retard like him.
You could argue about it!
- There you go.
- Drain the spuds then.
- Come on.
- It might help to turn on the water.
It's interesting that tough guys
like you are interested in hygiene.
Yes, dry your hands. You can't grope
Linda with piss on your hands.
- Is there a close-up of his dick?
- You bet. We want to see everything.
You go down to the men's room,
and we'll go to the ladies'.
Let go, Stoffer.
A consultant from a mental home
said we should show their sexuality.
One could say portraying
retards without that factor -
- is rather like Evangelical
literature about sexuality.
That is, we need to show
the whole spectrum or forget it.
I told him about our problem of
getting Jens Albinus a hard-on -
- in the ladies' changing room,
in spite of Susanne's valiant efforts.
lsuggested an injection which would
give him a 2-hour erection.
A bit claustrophic, in my opinion.
But I must applaud Jens' success
in getting a hard-on.
We used all kinds of methods to help,
plus Susanne. She's very touching.
That is, Anne Louise.
She's very compassionate,
which must be a burden for her.
And she claims to have
personal problems and anxieties -
- which are
bloody well-hidden, I must say.
At the very least,
one could say she is vivacious.
Are we having a party?
Because it's my birthday?
- It's not really my birthday.
- And we're not real retards.
We filmed the party scene,
for which they made tickets.
How ridiculous can you get!
Then we experimented with ways
of leading up to the gang-bang.
And that was bloody difficult.
- Picture lottery? Spin the bottle?
- Gang-bang!
Gang-bang!
How does one get from Stoffer's
suggestion to the actual act?
Stoffer says it as a provocation,
since he's that kind of person.
Then Nana says: "That's the
first healthy idea you've ever had."
And she means it.
Because a gang-bang basically
is about social contact -
- and contact between people.
Cut!
- Like that?
- Yes, I have a few adjustments.
It shouldn't be so imbecile.
It's OK if you laugh at the start.
But if every time we show
something sexually dangerous -
- we hear giggling,
then the dangerous aspect is gone.
It's interesting to me that
there are so many improvisations.
Everything we've filmed today is
far from the original script and idea.
Basically these are things
the actors could have done.
They lead up to something and
don't follow it up for some reason.
It's interesting
to observe and to ask for.
This is possible because I have
the camera and an hour's tape -
- and the scenes are really long,
so things can just develop -
- and I can incorporate them.
This is possible because we're
videotaping and have plenty of time.
I'll bloody well
give you a gang-bang.
Instead of filming,
can't you give us a hand?
Today I'd say that "The idiots" is
the most interesting film I've made.
And although it fulfills needs arising
from frustrations in my childhood -
- it's certainly interesting that
the first words that come to mind -
- if I were to describe
the goal of the project -
- would be
a search for authenticity.
Later we had a "half-way party",
which was nice.
And I even danced
for the first time in years.
I did my Travolta routines,
which I learned at dance school.
It was really fun and
lfelt like a young man again -
- together with the girls.
It was liberating.
Life still has many facets.
A retard picture?
- Shouldn't we take a retard picture?
- Yes!
In brief flashes, life is wonderful.
PS. The last sentence and this
entry has made me so nervous -
- that I'm getting physical symptoms.
Plus it's a very hot day.
Declaring: "Life is wonderful" fills me
with anxiety beyond imagination.
No matter what conclusions I draw
or what anxiety this may bring -
- I am very satisfied with
my private and my professional life.
Good morning.
ls the camera running?
I've been pondering about
my relationship to actresses.
As I said to Bente,
in the beginning of my career -
- I had a very
difficult relationship to them.
I was almost at war with them. That
changed during "The Kingdom" -
- and even more
during "Breaking the Waves".
I know I have fallen,
not into the same trap -
- but the same automatic
relationship as other directors.
And my conclusion is that it's much
more healthy than the hostile one.
Perhaps they're two sides
of the same coin.
This can be troublesome for
the actress and for one's partner -
- but any feeling at all is good,
as I keep saying to myself.
What I'm trying to say is that maybe
one should just accept this as a fact.
- ls something crawling on my back?
- That's a cheap come-on.
You're already getting
What do they call it? Delirious.
Yes. That snake you put over there
Oh, you mean the one
that just slithered by?
We call that the garden hose.
- So everybody is here now.
- Yes.
- All set?
- Yes. It's big.
This is almost how
endangered species are treated.
For example, putting them in a zoo.
It's bordering on the perverse.
- Do they know they'll be on camera?
- I have no idea.
- But you're their contact, Kristoffer.
- I'll go talk to them.
Could you come over here?
Of course you have to be nice.
Reverential is the right word, I think.
- Camera ready.
- It's talking. That thing down there.
Yes, it is.
Scene 53, take 2.
Hi!
Could we have one of them
hug Josephine?
Either Lis Bente or Torben.
They would be your best bets.
Shall I take a look at you?
My old buddy.
- Look at him.
- OK.
We had a visit from the mongols,
who are really sweet.
The only problem was
that during the first shooting -
- none of the actors
was in character.
Well maybe Josephine,
but the rest of them weren't.
It's uncomfortable, but don't show it.
I don't think you should say anything.
Your face gives you away. You just
have to be humiliated like the rest.
- There were some good moments.
- It's rather disgusting, isn't it?
But there's a goal higher
than ourselves. Zentropa's income.
The actors forgot their characters'
names, so they used their own.
That's the clash
between reality and fiction.
- Can I take a picture of you all?
- Yes!
Look over here. Everyone
looks great except you, Henrik.
Smile!
It's wrong of them not to talk to me.
They've shut me out from day one.
That's the way I feel.
I talk to them, but they don't answer.
It's the other way round. You say
the most provoking things to them.
"When you saw the real retards, you
realized how bloody awful you are."
"it's a crock of shit."
You can't expect an answer to that.
The rest of you were great.
Who knocked something over?
- Jeppe.
- That was just fine.
It will be one of
our best outtakes. OK
Is it fair to say that we're not up to
form after a visit from the real retards?
They really took the piss!
Oh hell, Karen.
Susanne, Karen's gone into spass.
Hi. I couldn't find you.
We're so happy here.
I have no right to be happy.
Yes, you do, Karen.
Of course you do.
We still had to shoot
the decisive scene on the steps -
- in which Karen shows her great
sorrow without revealing its cause.
I thought Karen could use Susanne
like a mirror or see herself in her -
- because in the film no one shows
any consideration for Susanne.
So I thought they could find
a mutual connection or solidarity.
I had cynically counted
on that happening. It didn't.
The great release
I had hoped for never came.
I couldn't sense any
bond between them -
- or any acceptance from Susanne of
Karen's grief or her very presence.
I don't know much about how actors
work, but when they have to cry -
- some dig up a personal sorrow
they normally keep to themselves -
- and can thus cry
more or less at the drop of a hat.
You say everyone is happy here.
More happy than you're allowed.
You should feel really bad,
as bad as the child that died.
That's the basis of it all.
And we're all going to die, right?
The next day Bodil and Anne Louise
were to go on with the scene -
- which now takes place
at the window.
This is the third or fourth day
we've tried to capture it.
Then the most
fantastic thing happened.
After Bodil's many attempts
to reach that level of emotion -
- she suddenly burst out crying -
- because she happened
to think about an old hymn.
"See the sun rising
You know that hymn, don't you?
I guess my direction was
completely off the mark.
I try every angle
but you just pretend to listen -
- and then at the sight of a leaf
quivering, you break down.
However, my biggest objection
was that Susanne wasn't credible.
It's paradoxical
that she wasn't equal to it -
- or that it didn't live up to
my concept of authenticity.
Lars, am I supposed to say that?
Do I have to combine the two?
- Goodness, you're nervous!
- I know. Do I just comfort her?
- Or do I say something particular?
- Say what we've talked about.
Because then she'll probably say
that she shouldn't cry.
Anne Louise was
very anxious about this scene -
- because my expectations
have reached hysterical heights.
But she is great at dialogue
and is a bloody good actress.
She is one of the most promising
actresses I've seen in years.
But if she gets nervous and doesn't
dare, it's reflected in her acting.
It's a perfectly natural mental block.
Is it gone now?
The problem with telling the story
is that you're referring to your own.
I went into a sort of therapy mode -
- because all our talks somehow
bordered on the therapeutic.
So I encouraged her to talk about it
and to open up. And she did.
I have always felt
it was easier to be nice to people.
I have always found it easy.
And I have always had to be strong.
But that's
the loneliest thing in the world.
That's what it is. Lonely.
But it's like
I've never really met anyone,
with whom I could just open up.
I really need to talk
to somebody, because
Because
I don't allow myself to feel.
It's hard to make room for feelings.
And after she had said the word
"room", she got a tic.
So this is how therapists work,
they observe and add things up.
Unspoken things are revealed.
Things from the subconscious.
Why don't you have room for them?
I just don't.
I've always been told there isn't.
I've always been told
that there was no room for feelings.
I just need to let go of it all.
Maybe we should
take a break and do a scene.
- Take 66, 2.
- Why does it say 60?
60, 2. Sorry.
The fact that we had done
this exercise in psychodrama -
- made her lines
sound natural and unforced.
I got exactly
what I wanted out of Susanne.
You're allowed to be happy. You're
allowed to be here and be happy.
- Do you believe me?
- Yes.
It makes one feel good to help
someone feel release -
- although it doesn't
have anything to do with the film.
I must admit I feel some satisfaction,
although without any cynicism.
I wouldn't say I've been fooling
with something out of my depth -
- because I do know
something about it.
I tell myself
that it can only be beneficial.
Go!
That hurt like hell.
- Go get it.
- No fucking way.
- Do it again.
- That's because I'm not dead yet.
- Did you go shopping?
- Yes. But we couldn't find herbs.
- Shopping for 2 hours and 40 min.?
- It was crazy. Hi.
We're spending the night here.
I don't know what the plan is.
We'll see.
Maybe we could use a scene or two
from it in the final film.
Since we were meant
to stay here the whole time -
- maybe we'll get a taste
of what I had hoped for -
- that is, that the actors had stayed
here and cooked their meals here.
In the case of this film,
that was a complete failure.
Where's the trash can?
They have no feeling for the props,
which I find surprising.
I thought actors
felt props were holy -
- and felt responsible for
props which define their character.
But no one feels responsible
for the house. No one cleans up.
All the worst aspects of living
in a commune have surfaced here.
No one felt like spassing or acting
in character. Bodil spassed a bit.
Then we had dinner,
and that was uneventful.
- Where are our dinner plates?
- Inside.
- Your wine or mine?
- This is mine. Is that the last of it?
- They poured the rest in a melon.
- Have some of this boring salad.
Put some more
of that gooey red stuff on it.
We were to talk about spassing
and what it stood for.
In a previous conversation, they
voiced their unconditional support -
- and how fantastic it was. Now they
were inattentive and almost hostile.
How do you want to do it?
Should we sit around the fireplace?
Can't we send a team in
to light the fire?
- Some of us went shopping.
- And some didn't do squat.
There's an unhappy baby
who's been crying for a long time.
Can't you hear it?
There it was again.
Then I felt a strange loneliness -
- and you may well laugh -
- but it's rooted in my childhood
and parties I attended -
- but didn't participate in,
but rather sat sulking in a corner.
- What is zayn ?
- Sane or insane?
- What's zayn ?
- What is ZA YN ?
What is zayn ?
What is zayn ?
- What's happened?
- I put cream on. It doesn't itch yet.
- What's zayn ? What can I say?
- Can you figure that one out?
- Are you going to sit there?
- Shut up and let me participate.
All you want to do is to get rid of me
as fast as possible. Don't touch me!
- I didn't touch you.
- What's wrong, Lars?
Be quiet. Be quiet.
Stop it. Get the retards straight
so we can do this film.
The cake isn't included.
Camera ready.
Shut the fuck up! Quit telling me to
lighten up every time I open my mouth.
- You shut up.
- No! This is my house.
Stoffer, have a beer and a Valium!
Come on, Stoffer.
I felt more and more left out
and my jealousy in regard to
to everything. The girls.
I just felt lonely in the group.
It was so oppressive
that I had to go to bed -
- while Kristoffer
bravely chaired another session.
From what could hear,
it was completely useless -
- because of power struggles
between the actors.
Be quiet while I tell you about
the game. It's called T, P or K.
T is truth. And P is percent.
And K is kiss.
How high
How high is the percentage
of your faith in spassing?
My faith in it? Zero.
I would like to thank you
for the past 24 hours.
There's no way I can get out
of this with honor. It's impossible.
But we've learned something, so now
our lives can be a calculated hell.
- Right. Thanks very much.
- Thank you.
No one can blame me
for not admitting my mistakes.
So get the hell out of here!
Smllermd fascists! Smllermd fascists!
Crazy bastard!
Today's PS must be
that it's all about being loved.
And about having power.
Emotional and physical power.
- What a racket you're making here.
- What are you doing here?
- Camera running.
- 66, 4.
The newspaper arrived. It's 3 am.
I'm tossing and turning.
66, 5.
It's churning around in my head,
and after the weekend -
- I had gotten over
the mess with Anne Louise -
- but now I can't get
the damn thing out of my head.
I can't take it any more.
I just want to finish the film -
- so I don't have to see her.
Nothing seems to settle me down.
I'm lying here alone
because Bente is in Tisvilde.
She should be with me. Bloody hell!
Who does she think she is?
Something which gives one great
joy, can be painful at the same time.
- This must be our slowest day ever.
- Yes, I've had a hell of a crisis too.
We have to finish this. Two more
hours to get this bloody scene.
It's the next scene in the sequence.
Should we bite the bullet
and get it over with? OK.
Listen
Some of you have lines in the scene,
so leave some "space" for them.
- What lines?
- You two don't have any.
- But Ped does.
- Like: "Should we take him upstairs?"
For fuck's sake! Just do it properly.
I'm totally fed up with it now.
Do you think I've gone mad?
Christ, you're all pathetic.
Are you afraid now?
How could I dream of
getting an honest answer -
- from young
career-hungry actors?
And who the hell can see me
as I really am?
I just have to survive
the next few weeks.
To hell with it!
Come home, Bente.
In a huge cry for contact and love,
I gush with pubescent honesty -
- which makes everything worse.
We haven't accomplished a sense
of closeness or understanding.
The only one
who really believes in this film -
- or thought there was some reality
in it, was me. But that's all right.
Fine! Fine! I guess I have to learn it
the hard way every time.
But that's the technique.
To believe in it.
Since I'm the director,
I have to believe in the film.
Or my starting point must be
that I'm doing the right thing.
And that's why it's so bloody hard
and I become a little child -
- when I realize
this isn't reality, but acting.
It's like a little game
that little Lars has thought up -
- and it never becomes reality
because the heart of matter is -
- that we are 190% alone in our own
tiny, ridiculous, humiliating world.
I'm sick to death of this.
I don't believe in you at all.
Go home and do your spassing
at home or at work.
Then I'll believe in you
and not before.
Who's first?
The morning of July 21.
Our final week. I'm prepared.
I've slept fairly well
even though I realized last night -
- that the lump in my throat
must be cancer of the esophagus.
And now I'm going to give those
bloody girls the cold shoulder.
I'm sick and tired of
all' that touchy-fee!y stuff.
You must know when you came down.
Must I do everything for you?
- I don't know how far you'd gotten.
- Find out for fuck's sake.
If the bottle points at you,
you have to go to a place -
- where the people
really mean something to you.
Shut the fuck up!
Are you done now?
Is there anything else? Do you have
a pain in the ass? Then butt out!
Jens was impatient
and is the first to sense -
- the tiniest imbalance in the group.
And he can read me
in 4 1/2 seconds.
When do I do it?
And that will be all for today.
- What happened? Nothing!
- I tried.
You cleared your throat three times.
- Let's go home, Henrik.
- I'm not coming. Stoffer is right.
- It was fine. You tried.
- Don't say it was fine. It wasn't.
- Yes, but
- No buts. All you say is: "You tried."
- What are we trying to do now?
- You don't have to change anything.
I'm just trying to get them to
Just relax. Don't panic!
Can we try it now?
I think I understand.
What day is it?
We've seen Troels teach -
- and then we go home to bed
and it's the next morning?
- So Nana goes first.
- And then I say goodbye.
- No, you must wait.
- There's something I want to say.
78,11.
- What day is it tomorrow?
- Saturday.
Then I can do it. It's my turn
to go home and play the idiot.
At home.
But someone must come with me.
Do it again with a little smile.
It was a good day. Bodil was
brilliant and played a great scene.
- But Susanne has lost her footing.
- Let's do it. Now, OK?
She needed help from her director
and she didn't get squat.
- Look at me.
- Right.
Tomorrow it's my turn to go home
and play the idiot.
But I need someone with me.
And you can't all come with me.
- It may not be pleasant.
- Don't laugh with the others.
- What day is it tomorrow?
- Saturday.
Then I can do it.
I decided I would require a certain
standard of professionalism.
We yelled at each other like crazy,
or rather I didn't yell -
- but was terribly provoking,
of course. And the end result was -
- that the role of Susanne
was completely ruined.
Not a good result,
to put it mildly.
Let's do it! Why the hell
does it have to take so long?
You can take your things home.
You can take your things home.
You can take yourselves home.
- Go home!
- Just keep the standard tomorrow.
A little tear from Susanne won't do.
I want her to cry her heart out.
Let's rehearse it
and stick to a strict plot.
Unlike the rest of the film. And as
regards the two emotional moments -
- just skip them during rehearsal.
We'll see how we get there later.
We have the whole day tomorrow.
Suddenly we jump a hundred years
back in time. Rather cliched.
- Hello, mother.
- Hello, Karen.
But the scene soon found
its natural form.
Or unnatural, if you will.
Where have you been?
We thought you were dead.
You want to go, but it's dangerous.
What could happen to her?
You see her mother.
She doesn't look so nice. Now what?
Then you see her sister.
What's she doing?
- What can I say?
- I understand what you mean.
- Karen, is that you?
- Yes, grandfather.
Anders and Karen lost their son.
It's probably harder for Anders.
She just disappeared
and didn't come to the funeral.
That's all that's left of the child.
Hello, grandfather.
Hello, Anders.
He hits you, but that
doesn't stop you from spassing.
Only Susanne can do that.
When we saw spassing at the table,
our barriers were truly transcended.
It illustrated how strictly we lay
down the laws of table manners.
I can't seem
to get anywhere right now.
I can't seem to get the tears flowing
like I can at other times.
- And as you'd like me to.
- Yes, because you're our audience.
If we don't get your reaction,
then all our tears are in vain.
This is the kind of film they
teach you not to make at film school.
Because the point
isn't revealed until the end.
And when it finally is,
we need a violent reaction.
It's like riding off into the sunset.
We need the same closure.
Otherwise there's no release.
The slap was perfect and
we got the beginning down pat -
- but of course I wasn't pleased
with Anne Louise, and she knew it.
We were ready the next day, and the
next day she was sick, of course.
It was very dramatic.
She ended up in the hospital -
- and was kept under observation
for appendicitis.
Then the bitch was discharged
and to make a long story short -
- we spent our last shooting day,
Sunday, in Karen's home.
I'm closing the door.
She clearly had a mental block, and
since the scene presumes to be -
- the liberation of Karen, assisted
and encouraged by Susanne -
- we had to give it our all,
so the film would reach its peak.
- I'd like a bit of ugliness.
- Ugliness?
Was there ugliness
in the window scene?
I found it extremely beautiful.
But I like ugliness.
Maybe she needs a slap too,
so she'll feel something.
- Now? From him?
- Or from me.
- I'm trying to be Susanne.
- Fuck Susanne.
I need three seconds where you find
the feeling within yourself -
- and then you look at her and unite
the two experiences in your mind.
This is what
the whole film is about. It really is.
She lacked the admiring director
she'd had during most of the film.
And that's made
Susanne's personality strong.
I was a much better director
in admiration than in disgust.
Much, much better.
You poor little thing.
You're struggling for your life.
- I don't know what to do.
- You don't have to do anything.
I won't torture you any more,
although it isn't torture.
You should enjoy my attention.
In 4 1/2 hours it's gone for good.
Yes.
But all of a sudden she could do it
and gave a great performance.
And Bodil, who was taken by
surprise at Anne Louise's acting -
- followed suit and gave a fantastic
performance. It was very moving.
And much to the film's credit,
it all ended very satisfactorily.
That's enough, Karen.
Shall we go?
She has to get up of her own accord.
Don't drag her away.
It's up to her whether she wants
to go or not. It's essential.
It's a real Nora situation.
Leave with dignity.
Yes.
In regard to the two crying women,
lfelt like a Chinese circus artist -
- spinning plates on bamboo sticks.
The plates spun on their own -
- but occasionally needed a push.
I think we've made a good film,
and I think it was all worthwhile.
On the other hand, the films I truly
believed in bombed. We'll see.
Subtitles: Karen Margrete Wiin
SubLine
Lars von Trier's Dogma film THE IDIOTS
Lars von Trier recorded a diary,
which was made available for this film
The idea originates from a time
when I had a summer cottage -
- near something called Marjatta.
I don't know if you know it -
- but it's an institution.
A mental institution or home.
They follow a guy
named Steiner's theory.
They think of mongols as angels.
They say they are a gift to Mankind.
This is what it's all based on.
The fact that they are a gift.
Hello, we are from a commune
for the mentally handicapped.
- We're selling Christmas decorations.
- How much?
- How much are they, Ped?
- £600. And 50 pence.
- They cost £2.
- Pop inside and get £2.
- And 50 pence and 50 pence.
- And 50 pence.
Let's hope it lasts.
We've debased ourselves enough
in this shitty district.
- Cobbles?
- Look. They're too high.
The retards were out selling
and fell over. This one's too high too.
- Sulker sulker.
- Is anybody hurt?
"Is anybody hurt?"
- You've ruined it for them.
- What do they cost?
- £4 a piece.
- And 50 pence.
You forgot one.
Why the humiliation? No wonder head
cases get a distorted view of reality.
THE HUMILIATED
- This is Luis.
- Yes, I can see that.
- My name is Nikolaj.
- Hello.
Please take a seat
and have something to drink.
- Are you going to film everything?
- Just some of it.
- Beginnings and endings.
- Yes.
- You can't drink red wine from that.
- An ordinary glass will do.
Have you talked about the
dogma rules? No, there's no reason to.
It's based on technical rules which
e.g. don't allow us to mix the sound.
Just cut it.
The story begins and ends
with Karen, played by Bodil.
With her background, she
wouldn't normally take part in this.
It's all very strange to her.
For the others there is a certain logic
to it, but not for Karen.
Jens Albinus plays Stoffer.
To some extent
He is the philosopher behind all this.
If anyone has
psychological problems, it's Stoffer.
He's the closest we come to
a psychopath, if there is such a thing.
Then there's Susanne, who's
the only one who's not an idiot.
I see her as a childhood friend of
Stoffer's. She thinks he's fantastic.
At the same time she's tenderhearted.
She's a nurse and has worked
with people who really are retarded.
She's so good that the fact that
they're just playing retarded is OK.
And hopefully
she becomes good friends with Karen.
It's of the utmost importance
that we all can be convincing idiots.
By definition an idiot has an IQ of
0-25 and can just stare at the wall.
And that's no fun. We could
call them retarded or brain damaged.
There's only one way to do that.
No two. Either being retarded -
- or by studying real idiots.
There's no reason this group
should be especially good at it -
- but I want you to be, because
it makes my film more convincing.
And together we will work out
what your roles will be like.
We'll be as free as in the 70s.
This is absolutely
It's beyond my wildest imagination.
At night we'd have
to bring some lights in.
A phone room!
What's this? Skis! Imagine four
retards skiing on the road in July.
Here's a real stretcher.
Now you can get some sleep.
Make yourself at home.
Today is June 7.
I'm using this dictaphone -
- in a humble attempt
to continue my diary.
Yesterday all the actors were
at the house. It went well.
We attempted to define
each retard's personality -
- in order to vary them.
On Monday we start shooting.
I'm sitting here alone.
And it's finally cloudy.
It's nice to have a break, but at
the same time I want to get started.
We'll assign a number to each scene.
All right?
There'll be a lot of improvisations.
Let's just start
by giving each scene a clap.
Just write scene 1, take 1.
It's June 16. We had
our first shooting day today.
We're going to see the queen.
She lives here.
See the queen!
I have this document.
Good. That's fine.
I have just looked at the dailies,
and they were really sick.
Funny, but I didn't notice at the time
how much they were overacting.
Any poetry or potential interest
in spassing went out the window.
Shit.
It all seemed too easy anyway.
- I can't get much of a shot.
- I can move if I'm in the way.
If you sit down there,
I can put my feet here. Sit up.
This is best.
We talked about what went wrong
and the need for downplaying.
So I enjoyed filming a scene which
became more serious than intended.
The restaurant scene is
the starting point of the film -
- and was originally much funnier,
and is now less so.
This is the first sign that something's
unusual. You're trying to feed him.
- Therefore you shouldn't react.
- Stoffer just thinks: "This is wrong."
- "Nothing's happening."
- That's because of his upbringing.
And where he's coming from.
That's the essence of it.
You're here to have a nice lunch.
And at some point, some people
start having mental problems.
And that spoils things. Don't act
like you're turning your backs on them.
Just be ourselves.
- Hi.
- It's OK.
Hi. Hi.
- Come here, Stoffer.
- No.
You have the same problem as Jens.
When you're on camera -
- you think
you have to deliver. It's forbidden.
There's much more light here
than where Karen is sitting.
When you help clean up anyway and
hand him the napkin, he's pleased.
You react,
but slowly and incorrectly.
Shall I take him outside?
The object is to get her in the taxi.
It's really lame -
- but let's see if we can make it
plausible, if that's at all possible.
- You come from back here.
- Let's make up our minds first. Sorry!
Complete calm! No panic!
- Let me get in.
- Would you? Thanks.
Cut!
- No. That won't work.
- No, it won't.
- I'll hold on as tight as I can.
- Don't struggle with him by the car.
When he won't let go,
you just give in.
Let go, Stoffer. That's enough!
- It's all right. I can go with you.
- You're too kind.
Cut. That works. Let me try.
This time we'll film
a more dogma-friendly version.
- You've been zooming, haven't you?
- You told us we mustn't zoom.
- I never said that.
- You said no quick movements.
True. But this is a motorized zoom.
Scene 11, take 6.
And action!
I've started doing most
of the filming, and I enjoy it a lot.
But partaking in these long
sessions filled me with anxiety -
- due to the importance of my role.
It's amazing I'm willing to take it on.
And still be afraid to take part
in something that was my own idea.
But I guess that says
something about Trier's hysteria.
I still can't sleep at night.
That's why I'm sleepy now.
But now our working hours are
staggered, so I'm trying not to sleep.
But that probably won't work either.
I still fear cancer of the balls.
That's the way it's supposed to be.
I guess there's always something
which prevents life from being easy.
The breaks I've had in my life
have been bloody short.
I'd hoped that hard work,
which making this film certainly is -
- would help. And maybe it does.
I'm not exactly panic-stricken.
And I seem to get through the shoots
better than I had expected.
- Put it on properly.
- What did I do wrong?
- It's worn like this.
- Sorry.
For Christ's sake! I have to watch you
every minute or you mess up.
- I wasn't trying to mess up.
- You were!
It's June 24 and I've just seen
the dailies from Rockwool.
Claus Strandberg is brilliant
as the tormented guide.
Now I stopped
the production of Rockwool.
Everything is underplayed
and just the way I like it.
The retards are acting well and down
to earth. I'm pleased with Stoffer.
It was a great pleasure. And the
absurd conditions at the factory -
- contributed in making it funny,
easy and uncompromising.
It was just a great pleasure.
Cut!
Why doesn't Nana react to
a stranger's presence? Karen's.
- You do.
- No. But he reacts to Karen.
But not to Nana. Why does he
ask Karen to come, but not Nana?
Behave!
You'd bloody well better behave.
None of the others asks questions.
They maintain absolute silence.
- Could you define it for me?
- Bloody hell! We'll do it again.
- Get out, everybody.
- I just want an explanation.
- There is none.
- OK.
- One case of beer.
- Okay.
- A bottle of red wine.
- One?
Buy enough for your stay here.
- So vodka, beer
- Buy candy.
- Susanne?
- White wine or rosé.
Bread and lunch meat.
Do you have to bring your cigar?
- Pump it up.
- I'll hang it over the bar.
- Why do you need two lamps?
- What about the other one?
I hope there aren't any spiders.
It's like summer camp.
Can I have a bit ...?
I'm a bit cold.
You can cover yourself with me.
Put me over you.
Would Karen sit here alone?
If she were feeling thoughtful?
Yes, I think so.
She's been with the group all day.
It could start with the line:
"Why do you do it?"
I'd like to do that scene
without a rehearsal.
The camera is running!
Action.
Stoffer,
I'd like to ask you something.
- What's that?
- I was wondering
- Why do you make fun of retards?
- Why did you go with us?
In the factory?
Why do you think you did that?
Why did you go in there with us?
- Stop it, Stoffer.
- I'm just asking her why.
- It sounds like an interrogation.
- Cut!
- Scene 16, take 5.
- Action.
- Is it fun to be a retard?
- It's fun for me.
- More fun than when I'm not one.
- Cut!
Ask her again
why she willingly went with you.
It's been a relatively hard day.
We started with the scene -
- in which Stoffer explains the
philosophy behind the idiot complex.
We tried different approaches,
all of which were hopeless.
Each one portrayed Stoffer as a
phony, hopeless propagandist -
- faced with Karen's
authentic, spotless personality.
So that was no good.
What I was trying to do -
- was to couple it to Stoffer's project.
Because I have
a lot of pent-up feelings about this.
So what I'm doing is evading
the heart of the matter.
But the impression you're
conveying, which I think is wrong -
- is that it's great to be a retard.
That's not the point, in my opinion.
This is an investigation in which
we're trying to find the value of it.
It's not about acting up
in relation to the rest of the world.
Or not having things like mansions.
That's Stoffer's project.
But the basic idea is that there's
value in these borderline areas.
That's why she's stayed.
Because it's fascinating.
There's something
about it we find alluring.
But apart from that,
why has she stayed here?
- Do I say that?
- No. I'm just trying to work it out.
- You just found it interesting.
- Yes.
- And it is, isn't it?
- Yes.
The problem now is to make sure that
Stoffer is convincing in this scene.
Why does Stoffer defend
the moral aspect of it?
If Karen wins, and we don't believe
their justification, she would leave.
Why is it of secondary importance that
retarded people are a problem?
They're only a problem
because of our morals.
We'll have no retarded cashiers
because we demand efficiency.
Our morals prohibit them in having
a sex life and say they're ugly.
Aesthetics and morality
are being questioned.
You can give all the reasons you like
and good ones at that -
- but you can't compare reason and
feelings. Karen represents feelings.
When feelings and theory meet,
theory always loses.
It's just like defining love. Defining
it is like beating it into the ground.
In our discussion the actors revealed
their commitment to the idiot cause.
Why idiocy and the whole project
was important. I found it moving.
I understand Stoffer.
If she's just sitting there -
- I'd like to say: "Go home, Karen.
You're right. We are poking fun."
Maybe he should say that.
Yes! Because the film's point of view
is the girl who comes into the group.
We see it through her eyes.
When she asks the question:
"Why are you doing this?"
If she doesn't just accept it -
- Karen would feel rejected
and so would the audience.
We decided
to turn the situation around -
- so Stoffer didn't try to manipulate
Karen, at least not directly.
What, Josephine?
It's better if she stays because
she wants in on this life -
- rather than because
she's convinced by some theory.
The film becomes our argument.
- Why do they do that?
- Damn good question.
I feel sorry for people
who don't have our intellect.
So
So how...
So how can you justify
acting the idiot?
You can't.
The bit about having found
their inner idiot is a bit difficult.
- It sounds like. It smacks of
- Of everything we don't like.
The bit about being
a person of the future works.
And sitting in a wheelchair like Ped.
Who wouldn't like to do that?
So we moved our failed discussion
from inside to outside -
- where the ceiling was a mile high.
This was inspirational.
All the retards wandering
about reminded me of -
- Truffaut's
"Fahrenheit"-something -
- where people
are in the woods memorizing books.
It was very beautiful, insanely
naive and sentimental all at once.
These are gifts, inspirations that one
wouldn't have included in a script.
So the essence of the dogma rules
is that they give one lots of freedom.
And you'd better pull yourself
together or I'll be furious.
- You don't do a thing.
- Not even when she takes the mayo?
- No, let's see what happens.
- Hey! I want to be on TV too!
The less you try,
the more you'll succeed.
Quiet!
One more take.
You thank them too profusely.
When you rub it on,
treat it like suntan lotion.
Pick it up and hold it
for a second, so I can film it.
- I bet you hear that all the time.
- I quit!
- Are you trying to get attention?
- Feel how cold my fingers are.
Oh, your fingers.
I was told to tell you to play slower.
This film is much less calculating
than "Breaking the Waves"-
- and yet much more calculating.
That may be hard to understand.
It's allowing oneself
to go on a picnic of effects -
- with many references to Widerberg
and Tarkovski and fuck all.
While I was filming, I actually cried.
And since this is a diary -
- some honesty is required.
I got all choked up.
And suddenly afraid
for my talent.
I know this sounds terrible,
but after a scene like that -
- I'm afraid hubris will strike
like a fist from the sky -
- and annihilate me,
Just like a mosquito in the woods.
And then I think,
"Cancer! I'll get cancer now. "
But that's how I feel
at the end of a day like today.
A day in Trier's puppet theater.
- Good morning, everybody.
- Good morning.
The only item on today's agenda
is getting started at the same time.
For three days I've stressed
the importance of being on time -
- and today three people were,
and the rest were late.
It's impossible for you all
to be so late. It makes me furious.
At 9:00 I'm all fired up
for our next scene and now it's 9:37.
Fuck it!
Lene, how can we solve this?
We pick them at a designated time.
No, they have to wait
as long as they've kept us waiting.
- I was here early.
- Yes, you can go in.
- I have to wait half an hour.
- I'll wait ten minutes.
Wait inside.
We'll call you when we need you.
You can clean up the kitchen.
It's a mess.
The actors and I discussed their
dissatisfaction with my sarcasm.
They accused me
of being too hard on them.
But I don't blame myself too much -
- because at the same time
I'm also very nice to them.
- I'll do that then.
- You did just fine. I'm pleased.
- The others are the bad ones.
- You're right.
This is the least of my problems.
- Hello.
- Hello.
Is the house for sale?
I didn't see a sign out front.
Why is the van here?
Do you work with ...?
- It's for the mentally handicapped.
- What?
Retards are treated
differently today.
Completely different
from the policy in the old days.
The policy restricted the number
of institutions in residential areas.
Say "limit" the number.
They don't have any at all. Not one.
- Where's zayn ?
- The Seine is in Paris.
Nice meeting you.
We'll see you soon.
We'll see you
before you can count to ten.
- I feel pressured.
- You don't exactly agree to it
Don't say the lines
or I won't be able to use them.
I just think it's fun
to join in the improvisation.
- All set?
- Take it easy.
Sorry!
Nobody gives me any respect.
No! Stop it.
Sulker
Sulker
- Zayn .
- What is zayn ?
- In Paris?
- Frieze?
- Freeze?
- Frieze!
They look dangerous.
What do you think, Jesper?
- One of them had a puppy.
- That's the dangerous part.
The worst criminals always
have a puppy, and then suddenly
Your characters are the only people
who treat the retards decently.
And that's the funny part. You
dangerous types are decent guys.
- That's what we liked about it.
- And also what's funny.
The irony is that
you are portrayed as nice guys.
- They've all been bouncers.
- Doormen are despicable.
Well, some of them are.
In the beginning you are strong, silent
types and seem rather dangerous.
So we're afraid for him. He's
a reject, and so are you in a way -
- and therefore you feel a bond.
So what they're saying over there
There are five dots on one side,
and three on the other. Ready?
How about that?
What's the matter?
Do you have to pee?
You have to pee, don't you?
Right there.
Hand me the camera, will you?
- It's pretty small.
- Is there room for you beside him?
- So this is what we'll do. It's not
- Big. Quit harping about it.
- It looks bigger on camera.
- Lift his shirt up.
- Exactly.
- I mustn't block the light.
I stand right behind him
and help him from here.
And take your time. He has to piss,
but can't lower his trousers.
You have to give him a hand.
He can't hold it.
- No, he bloody well can't.
- Not a retard like him.
You could argue about it!
- There you go.
- Drain the spuds then.
- Come on.
- It might help to turn on the water.
It's interesting that tough guys
like you are interested in hygiene.
Yes, dry your hands. You can't grope
Linda with piss on your hands.
- Is there a close-up of his dick?
- You bet. We want to see everything.
You go down to the men's room,
and we'll go to the ladies'.
Let go, Stoffer.
A consultant from a mental home
said we should show their sexuality.
One could say portraying
retards without that factor -
- is rather like Evangelical
literature about sexuality.
That is, we need to show
the whole spectrum or forget it.
I told him about our problem of
getting Jens Albinus a hard-on -
- in the ladies' changing room,
in spite of Susanne's valiant efforts.
lsuggested an injection which would
give him a 2-hour erection.
A bit claustrophic, in my opinion.
But I must applaud Jens' success
in getting a hard-on.
We used all kinds of methods to help,
plus Susanne. She's very touching.
That is, Anne Louise.
She's very compassionate,
which must be a burden for her.
And she claims to have
personal problems and anxieties -
- which are
bloody well-hidden, I must say.
At the very least,
one could say she is vivacious.
Are we having a party?
Because it's my birthday?
- It's not really my birthday.
- And we're not real retards.
We filmed the party scene,
for which they made tickets.
How ridiculous can you get!
Then we experimented with ways
of leading up to the gang-bang.
And that was bloody difficult.
- Picture lottery? Spin the bottle?
- Gang-bang!
Gang-bang!
How does one get from Stoffer's
suggestion to the actual act?
Stoffer says it as a provocation,
since he's that kind of person.
Then Nana says: "That's the
first healthy idea you've ever had."
And she means it.
Because a gang-bang basically
is about social contact -
- and contact between people.
Cut!
- Like that?
- Yes, I have a few adjustments.
It shouldn't be so imbecile.
It's OK if you laugh at the start.
But if every time we show
something sexually dangerous -
- we hear giggling,
then the dangerous aspect is gone.
It's interesting to me that
there are so many improvisations.
Everything we've filmed today is
far from the original script and idea.
Basically these are things
the actors could have done.
They lead up to something and
don't follow it up for some reason.
It's interesting
to observe and to ask for.
This is possible because I have
the camera and an hour's tape -
- and the scenes are really long,
so things can just develop -
- and I can incorporate them.
This is possible because we're
videotaping and have plenty of time.
I'll bloody well
give you a gang-bang.
Instead of filming,
can't you give us a hand?
Today I'd say that "The idiots" is
the most interesting film I've made.
And although it fulfills needs arising
from frustrations in my childhood -
- it's certainly interesting that
the first words that come to mind -
- if I were to describe
the goal of the project -
- would be
a search for authenticity.
Later we had a "half-way party",
which was nice.
And I even danced
for the first time in years.
I did my Travolta routines,
which I learned at dance school.
It was really fun and
lfelt like a young man again -
- together with the girls.
It was liberating.
Life still has many facets.
A retard picture?
- Shouldn't we take a retard picture?
- Yes!
In brief flashes, life is wonderful.
PS. The last sentence and this
entry has made me so nervous -
- that I'm getting physical symptoms.
Plus it's a very hot day.
Declaring: "Life is wonderful" fills me
with anxiety beyond imagination.
No matter what conclusions I draw
or what anxiety this may bring -
- I am very satisfied with
my private and my professional life.
Good morning.
ls the camera running?
I've been pondering about
my relationship to actresses.
As I said to Bente,
in the beginning of my career -
- I had a very
difficult relationship to them.
I was almost at war with them. That
changed during "The Kingdom" -
- and even more
during "Breaking the Waves".
I know I have fallen,
not into the same trap -
- but the same automatic
relationship as other directors.
And my conclusion is that it's much
more healthy than the hostile one.
Perhaps they're two sides
of the same coin.
This can be troublesome for
the actress and for one's partner -
- but any feeling at all is good,
as I keep saying to myself.
What I'm trying to say is that maybe
one should just accept this as a fact.
- ls something crawling on my back?
- That's a cheap come-on.
You're already getting
What do they call it? Delirious.
Yes. That snake you put over there
Oh, you mean the one
that just slithered by?
We call that the garden hose.
- So everybody is here now.
- Yes.
- All set?
- Yes. It's big.
This is almost how
endangered species are treated.
For example, putting them in a zoo.
It's bordering on the perverse.
- Do they know they'll be on camera?
- I have no idea.
- But you're their contact, Kristoffer.
- I'll go talk to them.
Could you come over here?
Of course you have to be nice.
Reverential is the right word, I think.
- Camera ready.
- It's talking. That thing down there.
Yes, it is.
Scene 53, take 2.
Hi!
Could we have one of them
hug Josephine?
Either Lis Bente or Torben.
They would be your best bets.
Shall I take a look at you?
My old buddy.
- Look at him.
- OK.
We had a visit from the mongols,
who are really sweet.
The only problem was
that during the first shooting -
- none of the actors
was in character.
Well maybe Josephine,
but the rest of them weren't.
It's uncomfortable, but don't show it.
I don't think you should say anything.
Your face gives you away. You just
have to be humiliated like the rest.
- There were some good moments.
- It's rather disgusting, isn't it?
But there's a goal higher
than ourselves. Zentropa's income.
The actors forgot their characters'
names, so they used their own.
That's the clash
between reality and fiction.
- Can I take a picture of you all?
- Yes!
Look over here. Everyone
looks great except you, Henrik.
Smile!
It's wrong of them not to talk to me.
They've shut me out from day one.
That's the way I feel.
I talk to them, but they don't answer.
It's the other way round. You say
the most provoking things to them.
"When you saw the real retards, you
realized how bloody awful you are."
"it's a crock of shit."
You can't expect an answer to that.
The rest of you were great.
Who knocked something over?
- Jeppe.
- That was just fine.
It will be one of
our best outtakes. OK
Is it fair to say that we're not up to
form after a visit from the real retards?
They really took the piss!
Oh hell, Karen.
Susanne, Karen's gone into spass.
Hi. I couldn't find you.
We're so happy here.
I have no right to be happy.
Yes, you do, Karen.
Of course you do.
We still had to shoot
the decisive scene on the steps -
- in which Karen shows her great
sorrow without revealing its cause.
I thought Karen could use Susanne
like a mirror or see herself in her -
- because in the film no one shows
any consideration for Susanne.
So I thought they could find
a mutual connection or solidarity.
I had cynically counted
on that happening. It didn't.
The great release
I had hoped for never came.
I couldn't sense any
bond between them -
- or any acceptance from Susanne of
Karen's grief or her very presence.
I don't know much about how actors
work, but when they have to cry -
- some dig up a personal sorrow
they normally keep to themselves -
- and can thus cry
more or less at the drop of a hat.
You say everyone is happy here.
More happy than you're allowed.
You should feel really bad,
as bad as the child that died.
That's the basis of it all.
And we're all going to die, right?
The next day Bodil and Anne Louise
were to go on with the scene -
- which now takes place
at the window.
This is the third or fourth day
we've tried to capture it.
Then the most
fantastic thing happened.
After Bodil's many attempts
to reach that level of emotion -
- she suddenly burst out crying -
- because she happened
to think about an old hymn.
"See the sun rising
You know that hymn, don't you?
I guess my direction was
completely off the mark.
I try every angle
but you just pretend to listen -
- and then at the sight of a leaf
quivering, you break down.
However, my biggest objection
was that Susanne wasn't credible.
It's paradoxical
that she wasn't equal to it -
- or that it didn't live up to
my concept of authenticity.
Lars, am I supposed to say that?
Do I have to combine the two?
- Goodness, you're nervous!
- I know. Do I just comfort her?
- Or do I say something particular?
- Say what we've talked about.
Because then she'll probably say
that she shouldn't cry.
Anne Louise was
very anxious about this scene -
- because my expectations
have reached hysterical heights.
But she is great at dialogue
and is a bloody good actress.
She is one of the most promising
actresses I've seen in years.
But if she gets nervous and doesn't
dare, it's reflected in her acting.
It's a perfectly natural mental block.
Is it gone now?
The problem with telling the story
is that you're referring to your own.
I went into a sort of therapy mode -
- because all our talks somehow
bordered on the therapeutic.
So I encouraged her to talk about it
and to open up. And she did.
I have always felt
it was easier to be nice to people.
I have always found it easy.
And I have always had to be strong.
But that's
the loneliest thing in the world.
That's what it is. Lonely.
But it's like
I've never really met anyone,
with whom I could just open up.
I really need to talk
to somebody, because
Because
I don't allow myself to feel.
It's hard to make room for feelings.
And after she had said the word
"room", she got a tic.
So this is how therapists work,
they observe and add things up.
Unspoken things are revealed.
Things from the subconscious.
Why don't you have room for them?
I just don't.
I've always been told there isn't.
I've always been told
that there was no room for feelings.
I just need to let go of it all.
Maybe we should
take a break and do a scene.
- Take 66, 2.
- Why does it say 60?
60, 2. Sorry.
The fact that we had done
this exercise in psychodrama -
- made her lines
sound natural and unforced.
I got exactly
what I wanted out of Susanne.
You're allowed to be happy. You're
allowed to be here and be happy.
- Do you believe me?
- Yes.
It makes one feel good to help
someone feel release -
- although it doesn't
have anything to do with the film.
I must admit I feel some satisfaction,
although without any cynicism.
I wouldn't say I've been fooling
with something out of my depth -
- because I do know
something about it.
I tell myself
that it can only be beneficial.
Go!
That hurt like hell.
- Go get it.
- No fucking way.
- Do it again.
- That's because I'm not dead yet.
- Did you go shopping?
- Yes. But we couldn't find herbs.
- Shopping for 2 hours and 40 min.?
- It was crazy. Hi.
We're spending the night here.
I don't know what the plan is.
We'll see.
Maybe we could use a scene or two
from it in the final film.
Since we were meant
to stay here the whole time -
- maybe we'll get a taste
of what I had hoped for -
- that is, that the actors had stayed
here and cooked their meals here.
In the case of this film,
that was a complete failure.
Where's the trash can?
They have no feeling for the props,
which I find surprising.
I thought actors
felt props were holy -
- and felt responsible for
props which define their character.
But no one feels responsible
for the house. No one cleans up.
All the worst aspects of living
in a commune have surfaced here.
No one felt like spassing or acting
in character. Bodil spassed a bit.
Then we had dinner,
and that was uneventful.
- Where are our dinner plates?
- Inside.
- Your wine or mine?
- This is mine. Is that the last of it?
- They poured the rest in a melon.
- Have some of this boring salad.
Put some more
of that gooey red stuff on it.
We were to talk about spassing
and what it stood for.
In a previous conversation, they
voiced their unconditional support -
- and how fantastic it was. Now they
were inattentive and almost hostile.
How do you want to do it?
Should we sit around the fireplace?
Can't we send a team in
to light the fire?
- Some of us went shopping.
- And some didn't do squat.
There's an unhappy baby
who's been crying for a long time.
Can't you hear it?
There it was again.
Then I felt a strange loneliness -
- and you may well laugh -
- but it's rooted in my childhood
and parties I attended -
- but didn't participate in,
but rather sat sulking in a corner.
- What is zayn ?
- Sane or insane?
- What's zayn ?
- What is ZA YN ?
What is zayn ?
What is zayn ?
- What's happened?
- I put cream on. It doesn't itch yet.
- What's zayn ? What can I say?
- Can you figure that one out?
- Are you going to sit there?
- Shut up and let me participate.
All you want to do is to get rid of me
as fast as possible. Don't touch me!
- I didn't touch you.
- What's wrong, Lars?
Be quiet. Be quiet.
Stop it. Get the retards straight
so we can do this film.
The cake isn't included.
Camera ready.
Shut the fuck up! Quit telling me to
lighten up every time I open my mouth.
- You shut up.
- No! This is my house.
Stoffer, have a beer and a Valium!
Come on, Stoffer.
I felt more and more left out
and my jealousy in regard to
to everything. The girls.
I just felt lonely in the group.
It was so oppressive
that I had to go to bed -
- while Kristoffer
bravely chaired another session.
From what could hear,
it was completely useless -
- because of power struggles
between the actors.
Be quiet while I tell you about
the game. It's called T, P or K.
T is truth. And P is percent.
And K is kiss.
How high
How high is the percentage
of your faith in spassing?
My faith in it? Zero.
I would like to thank you
for the past 24 hours.
There's no way I can get out
of this with honor. It's impossible.
But we've learned something, so now
our lives can be a calculated hell.
- Right. Thanks very much.
- Thank you.
No one can blame me
for not admitting my mistakes.
So get the hell out of here!
Smllermd fascists! Smllermd fascists!
Crazy bastard!
Today's PS must be
that it's all about being loved.
And about having power.
Emotional and physical power.
- What a racket you're making here.
- What are you doing here?
- Camera running.
- 66, 4.
The newspaper arrived. It's 3 am.
I'm tossing and turning.
66, 5.
It's churning around in my head,
and after the weekend -
- I had gotten over
the mess with Anne Louise -
- but now I can't get
the damn thing out of my head.
I can't take it any more.
I just want to finish the film -
- so I don't have to see her.
Nothing seems to settle me down.
I'm lying here alone
because Bente is in Tisvilde.
She should be with me. Bloody hell!
Who does she think she is?
Something which gives one great
joy, can be painful at the same time.
- This must be our slowest day ever.
- Yes, I've had a hell of a crisis too.
We have to finish this. Two more
hours to get this bloody scene.
It's the next scene in the sequence.
Should we bite the bullet
and get it over with? OK.
Listen
Some of you have lines in the scene,
so leave some "space" for them.
- What lines?
- You two don't have any.
- But Ped does.
- Like: "Should we take him upstairs?"
For fuck's sake! Just do it properly.
I'm totally fed up with it now.
Do you think I've gone mad?
Christ, you're all pathetic.
Are you afraid now?
How could I dream of
getting an honest answer -
- from young
career-hungry actors?
And who the hell can see me
as I really am?
I just have to survive
the next few weeks.
To hell with it!
Come home, Bente.
In a huge cry for contact and love,
I gush with pubescent honesty -
- which makes everything worse.
We haven't accomplished a sense
of closeness or understanding.
The only one
who really believes in this film -
- or thought there was some reality
in it, was me. But that's all right.
Fine! Fine! I guess I have to learn it
the hard way every time.
But that's the technique.
To believe in it.
Since I'm the director,
I have to believe in the film.
Or my starting point must be
that I'm doing the right thing.
And that's why it's so bloody hard
and I become a little child -
- when I realize
this isn't reality, but acting.
It's like a little game
that little Lars has thought up -
- and it never becomes reality
because the heart of matter is -
- that we are 190% alone in our own
tiny, ridiculous, humiliating world.
I'm sick to death of this.
I don't believe in you at all.
Go home and do your spassing
at home or at work.
Then I'll believe in you
and not before.
Who's first?
The morning of July 21.
Our final week. I'm prepared.
I've slept fairly well
even though I realized last night -
- that the lump in my throat
must be cancer of the esophagus.
And now I'm going to give those
bloody girls the cold shoulder.
I'm sick and tired of
all' that touchy-fee!y stuff.
You must know when you came down.
Must I do everything for you?
- I don't know how far you'd gotten.
- Find out for fuck's sake.
If the bottle points at you,
you have to go to a place -
- where the people
really mean something to you.
Shut the fuck up!
Are you done now?
Is there anything else? Do you have
a pain in the ass? Then butt out!
Jens was impatient
and is the first to sense -
- the tiniest imbalance in the group.
And he can read me
in 4 1/2 seconds.
When do I do it?
And that will be all for today.
- What happened? Nothing!
- I tried.
You cleared your throat three times.
- Let's go home, Henrik.
- I'm not coming. Stoffer is right.
- It was fine. You tried.
- Don't say it was fine. It wasn't.
- Yes, but
- No buts. All you say is: "You tried."
- What are we trying to do now?
- You don't have to change anything.
I'm just trying to get them to
Just relax. Don't panic!
Can we try it now?
I think I understand.
What day is it?
We've seen Troels teach -
- and then we go home to bed
and it's the next morning?
- So Nana goes first.
- And then I say goodbye.
- No, you must wait.
- There's something I want to say.
78,11.
- What day is it tomorrow?
- Saturday.
Then I can do it. It's my turn
to go home and play the idiot.
At home.
But someone must come with me.
Do it again with a little smile.
It was a good day. Bodil was
brilliant and played a great scene.
- But Susanne has lost her footing.
- Let's do it. Now, OK?
She needed help from her director
and she didn't get squat.
- Look at me.
- Right.
Tomorrow it's my turn to go home
and play the idiot.
But I need someone with me.
And you can't all come with me.
- It may not be pleasant.
- Don't laugh with the others.
- What day is it tomorrow?
- Saturday.
Then I can do it.
I decided I would require a certain
standard of professionalism.
We yelled at each other like crazy,
or rather I didn't yell -
- but was terribly provoking,
of course. And the end result was -
- that the role of Susanne
was completely ruined.
Not a good result,
to put it mildly.
Let's do it! Why the hell
does it have to take so long?
You can take your things home.
You can take your things home.
You can take yourselves home.
- Go home!
- Just keep the standard tomorrow.
A little tear from Susanne won't do.
I want her to cry her heart out.
Let's rehearse it
and stick to a strict plot.
Unlike the rest of the film. And as
regards the two emotional moments -
- just skip them during rehearsal.
We'll see how we get there later.
We have the whole day tomorrow.
Suddenly we jump a hundred years
back in time. Rather cliched.
- Hello, mother.
- Hello, Karen.
But the scene soon found
its natural form.
Or unnatural, if you will.
Where have you been?
We thought you were dead.
You want to go, but it's dangerous.
What could happen to her?
You see her mother.
She doesn't look so nice. Now what?
Then you see her sister.
What's she doing?
- What can I say?
- I understand what you mean.
- Karen, is that you?
- Yes, grandfather.
Anders and Karen lost their son.
It's probably harder for Anders.
She just disappeared
and didn't come to the funeral.
That's all that's left of the child.
Hello, grandfather.
Hello, Anders.
He hits you, but that
doesn't stop you from spassing.
Only Susanne can do that.
When we saw spassing at the table,
our barriers were truly transcended.
It illustrated how strictly we lay
down the laws of table manners.
I can't seem
to get anywhere right now.
I can't seem to get the tears flowing
like I can at other times.
- And as you'd like me to.
- Yes, because you're our audience.
If we don't get your reaction,
then all our tears are in vain.
This is the kind of film they
teach you not to make at film school.
Because the point
isn't revealed until the end.
And when it finally is,
we need a violent reaction.
It's like riding off into the sunset.
We need the same closure.
Otherwise there's no release.
The slap was perfect and
we got the beginning down pat -
- but of course I wasn't pleased
with Anne Louise, and she knew it.
We were ready the next day, and the
next day she was sick, of course.
It was very dramatic.
She ended up in the hospital -
- and was kept under observation
for appendicitis.
Then the bitch was discharged
and to make a long story short -
- we spent our last shooting day,
Sunday, in Karen's home.
I'm closing the door.
She clearly had a mental block, and
since the scene presumes to be -
- the liberation of Karen, assisted
and encouraged by Susanne -
- we had to give it our all,
so the film would reach its peak.
- I'd like a bit of ugliness.
- Ugliness?
Was there ugliness
in the window scene?
I found it extremely beautiful.
But I like ugliness.
Maybe she needs a slap too,
so she'll feel something.
- Now? From him?
- Or from me.
- I'm trying to be Susanne.
- Fuck Susanne.
I need three seconds where you find
the feeling within yourself -
- and then you look at her and unite
the two experiences in your mind.
This is what
the whole film is about. It really is.
She lacked the admiring director
she'd had during most of the film.
And that's made
Susanne's personality strong.
I was a much better director
in admiration than in disgust.
Much, much better.
You poor little thing.
You're struggling for your life.
- I don't know what to do.
- You don't have to do anything.
I won't torture you any more,
although it isn't torture.
You should enjoy my attention.
In 4 1/2 hours it's gone for good.
Yes.
But all of a sudden she could do it
and gave a great performance.
And Bodil, who was taken by
surprise at Anne Louise's acting -
- followed suit and gave a fantastic
performance. It was very moving.
And much to the film's credit,
it all ended very satisfactorily.
That's enough, Karen.
Shall we go?
She has to get up of her own accord.
Don't drag her away.
It's up to her whether she wants
to go or not. It's essential.
It's a real Nora situation.
Leave with dignity.
Yes.
In regard to the two crying women,
lfelt like a Chinese circus artist -
- spinning plates on bamboo sticks.
The plates spun on their own -
- but occasionally needed a push.
I think we've made a good film,
and I think it was all worthwhile.
On the other hand, the films I truly
believed in bombed. We'll see.
Subtitles: Karen Margrete Wiin
SubLine