Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2003)

9/10
I really didn't know anything about Dogville going in except that it starred Nicole Kidman as a woman on the run in a town called Dogville...so I was quite startled by the way the movie is presented, which is on a large soundstage with buildings, scenery, even the town dog outlined in paint (see here). At first I thought it was a bit gimmicky but by the end I thought it was brilliant, as was the story, which surely has to be the pinnacle of Lars von Trier's writing abilities. And the acting is fantastic all around, because it has to be - there's not much else on the screen to look at if you're not looking at the actors. The movie itself has to be one of the harshest takes on "Americana" as there ever has been, and the end credits featuring David Bowie's "Young Americans", while as subtle as a sledgehammer, work perfectly.