Dancer in the Dark is one of the most emotionally brutalizing movies I’ve ever seen. I assume that was the goal, and as such I consider it to be one of the better movies I’ve ever seen. Yet I’ve only been able to bring myself to watch it twice. A significant number of people I know who have tried to watch it were so impacted that they could not finish viewing the movie. Most don’t enjoy the feeling of heartache, but even they must admit the artificial creation of such a feeling is a sign of something done effectively.
I only need to listen to the version of “I’ve Seen It All” featuring Thom Yorke to get that pit-of-the-stomach ache back again. This video is from the movie, with the Bjork/Thom Yorke version of the song playing over the soundtrack. Not in sync, but their version of the song is too powerful not to share.
