The Idiots (Idioterne) (1998) (R) ★★★½

Intellectuals get their jollies by playing retarded in this

anything-but-idiotic Danish import.

Story

Sad, sensitive Karen (Bodil Jorgensen) helps diffuse an uncomfortable

scene when two men who appear to be simple-minded cause a commotion at a

posh restaurant. But it turns out these "idiots" are part of a commune,

led by chief agitator Stoffer (Jens Albinus), devoted to challenging

social conventions by pretending to be imbeciles. As Karen gets pulled

into the cultlike group, finding unexpected joy in the art of being dim,

the experiment begins to unravel.

Acting

The fresh-faced ensemble delivers an adventurous set of performances,

full of improvised-feeling energy. There are no weak links in sight,

though the terrific Albinus dominates the film as the angry,

fascinatingly enigmatic Stoffer. The scenes with the characters feigning

idiocy will make viewers think they’ve stumbled into a self-indulgent

actor’s workshop from hell, which is apparently just as the filmmakers

intended it.

Direction

Madman writer-director Lars von Trier ("Breaking the Waves") shot this

effort on digital video in accordance with the bylaws of Denmark’s

influential Dogme 95 collective, which was organized to oppose the

fakery of modern filmmaking practices (including such seemingly innocent

techniques as artificial lighting and the construction of sets). The

Dogme trademarks are all here -- low-resolution imagery, shaky camera

and an almost unbearable intimacy with the characters. After a slow and

sometimes surreal first half, edited for extra choppiness, a group-sex

scene significantly ups the dramatic ante, and von Trier’s complex

psychological tale begins to approach the searing emotional intensity of

Thomas Vinterberg’s acclaimed Dogme release "The Celebration."

Bottom line

"The Idiots" is not for dummies.