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Bodil Jorgensen, Jens Albinus, Louise Hassing, Troels Lyby, Nikolaj Lie Kaas ... see more see more... , Henrik Prip , Luis Mesonero , Louise Mieritz , Knud Romer Jorgensen , Trine Michelsen , Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis

Lars von Trier wrote (in four days) and directed this Danish comedy-drama about a group of Copenhagen eccentrics who find a therapeutic release and confront apathy via unacceptable, idiotic behavior w... read more read more...hich they call "spazzing." Stoffer (Jens Albinus) is supposed to be selling his uncle's house but instead it becomes the focal point for geeky group activities. Restaurant patrons are disturbed by the group's mischief, but single diner Karen (Bodil Jorgensen) develops an appreciation of their antics. Stoffer, at his birthday party, wishes for a "gangbang," and both clothes and inhibitions are soon discarded. But when Stoffer calls for the group members to let idiocy invade their personal daily lives, only Karen takes up the challenge. Shown in competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Flixster Users

78% liked it

10,657 ratings

Critics

70% liked it

30 critics

R, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: Lars von Trier

Release Date: June 23, 2000

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DVD Release Date: September 26, 2000

Stats: 636 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (636)

  • ceWEBrity
    November 15, 2010
    ceWEBrity
    Wonderful on many levels - as an (aborted) excursion into a new film form, and the bizarre attention that it brought to the progenitor who immediately abandoned it; as a source of perverse entertainment turned desperate tragedy; as a look into metafilm and levels of reality. It d... read moreoesn't seem like there's a lot going on in The Idiots, but between its guiltless waltzing from genre to genre, the clashing ideologies of both the characters and the story itself, and the greater ramifications of being a Dogme 95 film and what it's implicitly saying about its cast and director, there's some serious thought behind that ugly exterior. This will not be an easy watch for many understandable reasons, and I think it's fair to call it offensive, obnoxious or even incomplete. I just think it's fascinating. I enjoyed watching the film with the Dogme Vow of Chastity in mind and wondering what limitations that imposed on von Trier and his crew. The performances he draws from his cast, unhesitantly authentic, are also enthralling when placed in a documentary context. Tensions were high between von Trier and his players, and there's a palpable parallel between how the "spassers" disintegrate and how his own harmonious set begins to fall apart. In fact, there's a very thorough and elaborate byline on which the events of this film, Dogme 95, and the work of Von Trier all operate, with thinly constructed notions of "reality" where other layers of their respective worlds can't help but leak in.

    Maybe the film's success as a conventional narrative in the medium is arguable, but I think it's an excellent auteurial curio and an exceptional think piece. It's also sort of hilarious in a way that becomes very dark with a gut-punch of an ending. As with just about all of von Trier's work - not for everyone, but worth at least giving a shot.
  • deano
    September 30, 2010
    deano
    Astounding, brave, funny and touching cult film. I find it hard to understand how so much has been said about the "lack" of production values or the nudity in this movie, which to me aren't even worth mentioning, but hardly anyone comments about how astounding the ACTING is! The ... read moreactors in this, and in Lars Von Triers' previous Breaking The Waves, display completely realistic acting very rarely (if ever!) seen in Hollywood.
    But if you want a funny, dirty, smart, irritating, and even infuriating satire of both the bourgeoisie and the bohemians who oppose it, then The Idiots is for you. Von Trier has assembled a furiously talented cast of unknowns to spin this tale of a Danish commune that pretends - to the horror of the middle class masses that surround it - to be a private institution for "retards" and "spastics".
  • arashxak
    September 28, 2009
    arashxak
    Ok, Vinterberg's Festen was a great start to Dogme 95 but Lars von Trier's Idioterne as the second Dogme 95 film is a huge disappointment, Pretentious & dumb to the core
  • SirPant
    September 2, 2009
    SirPant
    Dark, cruel and utterly hilarious. It will make you uncomfortable and make you laugh at the same time. People often refer to Festen as being the funniest 'alternative' film but I think the Idiots beats it hands down. Brilliant.
  • MidnightMadwoman
    March 22, 2007
    MidnightMadwoman
    This is a really strange movie, but I kind of liked it. I think it kind of ran out of steam near the end, but it was pretty funny. It's hard to imagine someone pulling off a premise like this with any type of skill - I mean, look at The Ringer. I'm not even entirely sure what it ... read morewas about this movie I liked. It is something to see, though.
  • fb1142797643
    May 15, 2012
    fb1142797643
    Lars Von Trier's "The Idiots" was the second feature made under the prickly "Dogme 95" manifesto, which dictates severe limitations such as on-location shooting, hand-held camera, no extravagant action and purely diegetic music (this film's only score is some lonely quotes from S... read moreaint-Saens, played on what sounds like one-finger accordion). The rules obviously don't forbid letting the boom mike slip into the frame, however -- this happens countless times here.

    Such factors would make any movie rather rough and inaccessible, but the premise of "The Idiots" is amply abrasive on its own. A troop of twentysomething rebels go around twitching and mugging like mentally disabled misfits, enjoying the public embarrassment they cause. Seemingly, this represents some sort of political protest -- they revel in the resulting freedom that they couldn't have otherwise? Such scenes are predictably hard to watch, and even go so far as one prankster letting a man take him to a urinal and hold his penis for him. And that's not the only explicit image -- there's also a tight shot of another actor's erection, a sustained view of thrusting sexual penetration and various other moments of casual nudity. Rest assured that none of this is remotely arousing.

    We experience these antics through the eyes of Karen, a withdrawn, fragile woman who has been newly lured into joining the group. She is not too likable (none of the characters are) but, eventually, the film gains some shape through filling in her background.

    If you think Harmony Korine is an overlooked genius, you will love "The Idiots." Otherwise, you'll find this an interesting experiment at best.
  • themoviejerk
    March 2, 2012
    themoviejerk
    The cinematic equivalent of a knife in your gut. The Idiots is altogether a complex, maddening, devastating, kaleidoscopic one-of-a-kind viewing experience. Compared to its more triumphant film-brother Festen, this is an underrated Dogme 95 work that lobs a searing, scathing crit... read moreique to society, Hollywood and sanitised audience expectations.
  • michaelcorleone
    February 26, 2010
    michaelcorleone
    I have intense admiration for this film based on principle alone. It's an excellent feat for any filmmaker to make such a legitimately bold and original work. The amazing thing is that Von Trier doesn't just make something unique, but something intricate and profound and upsettin... read moreg and hilarious. And, according to production stories, he wrote the screenplay in under a week. This is one of the groundbreaking movies of the 1990s, and it features a cast of some of the best actors I have ever seen. Every single performance in this film is pitch-perfect... characterization does not get more detailed than this.
  • shitfaced8
    June 15, 2011
    shitfaced8
    Controversial director Lars Von Triers first and only 'official' Dogme film is an intresting and often humourous exploration of outsiders who impersonate mentally handicapped people to scam the upper and middle classes out of their money and to break out of the confines of square... read more society. The results are pretty good and there is a lot to enjoy here if you enjoy lo-fi movies that are more idea based than story or character. Not to say the film is absent of story or characters, where it really works is in it's ideas though, both stylistically and conceptually. The film isn't going to be for everybody and I can't even quite put my finger on what I enjoyed so much about this one, where I can with the other Von Trier films I have seen thus far. This is only the second official Dogme film I've seen (the first being Harmony Korines Julien Donkey Boy, one of my favourite films ever). I have to say that I really like this style. It basically takes a shit on boring big budget Hollywood movies that I despise and represents Hollywoods antithesis. Squares should be warned that there is some unsimulated sex in this movie, lots of nudity (both female and male) and the basic idea of the premise will make PC bores uncomfortable for sure so if these things bother you steer clear. Otherwise I'd recommend this film to all fans of alternative/bizarre/strange film.
  • jimbotender
    March 18, 2010
    jimbotender
    Higly poignant,a decent transgressive behavior over society's....private fraud.Oh Lars,you fell on the Dogme trap you yourself were so proud of.Camera is focusing but without a challenge,an information dot and required elaboration,what can I do with an empty stomach?

View All The Idiots (Idioterne) (Dogma 95) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Kevin Thomas
February 14, 2001
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

The Idiots suggests that if Danish iconoclast Lars von Trier's filmsare getting tougher, they're also continuing to reward the patient. Full Review

A.O. Scott
January 1, 2000
A.O. Scott, New York Times

Has nothing on its mind besides the squirming discomfort of its audience. Full Review

Jonathan Foreman
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Foreman, New York Post

A tedious, pretentious bore.

Owen Gleiberman
January 1, 2000
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

A raw, funny, maddening ramble. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 16, 2009
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

The first Dogme film of enfant terrible Lars von Trier challenges viewers to reexamine their social mores and cinema habits of voyeurism and pleasure. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
November 4, 2005
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

A worthy experiment. Full Review

Michael Dequina
December 8, 2004
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

For all the Dogme-ordained restrictions to make the film feel "real," it ends up feeling more artificial. Full Review

Jake Euker
September 17, 2004
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)

The least you can say for it is that's it's truly brazen.

Gregory Weinkauf
August 14, 2003
Gregory Weinkauf, New Times

Not bad for a dogme movie.

Chuck Rudolph
March 7, 2002
Chuck Rudolph, Matinee Magazine

Caustic, brutally funny, and more passionate than perhaps anything [Von Trier's] ever done. Full Review

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