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The Garden Cinema View: This new restoration of The Idiots is included in our programme as both a key film in Lars von Trier's filmography and the Dogme 95 movement ('Where to being with Dogme 95'). Viewers should be aware that the film has attracted criticism on ethical grounds, particularly concerning ableist depictions and attitudes, and may wish to research the film before watching.
The second of the controversial Dogme 95 films. Set in present-day Denmark, The Idiots begins with a chance encounter between the timid Karen and a group of drop-outs engaged in a strange, informal experiment where they pretend to be mentally disabled. Initially shocked, Karen finds herself compelled to stay and eventually joins them in the experiment. However, as the group's acts of 'idiocy' grow more extreme, and the reality of the outside world becomes more intrusive, the border between liberation and self-destruction begins to blur.
Cast:
Bodil Jørgensen, Jens Albinus, Anne Louise Hassing, Troels Lyby