The Idiots

For me, definitely the weakest representative of the "Golden Heart Trilogy" and overall one of Trier's weaker films, but still can't say it's a weak or mediocre film overall:) The beginning is actually quite comedic in places (if you're willing to accept it, of course), but it wouldn't be Lars von Trier if he didn't incorporate a few more chilling and stirring moments into his film and let his characters take a nice "bath", so although The Idiots looks like a "mere" gritty comedy at first, in the end (and especially in the end) it's pure Trier drama. Still, the fates and tribulations of the main characters didn't stick with me nearly as much as with Lars’ other films. Of course, I'm not denying the originality of this work (the film's theme, where a bunch of various middle-aged misfits play at being mentally handicapped and go "nuts" because they're actually just bored – that's an "incredible" idea), but compared to everything else my beloved Lars von Trier has made so far, it's still "only" slightly above average. That fourth star is teetering on the edge. (07.04.2011)

The man looks like an idiot, he acts like an idiot, but make no mistake, he really is an idiot... don't you understand that old Marx Brothers joke? Trier explains it vividly in his typically naked, terroristic and caustic panopticon of the disturbed products of modern society. (13.10.2011)

The Idiots is a film about stepping off of the beaten track and finding absolute mental freedom and happiness. It is also a film about the very difficult and, for a weaker individual, impossible way back. Despite all of the positive feelings I have for The Idiots, however, I would have cut it down to size, making it shorter. The subject is great, but not enough for a two-hour movie. It would have been better with an 80-minute runtime, which would suit the nature of this semi-experimental film. (11.08.2002)

Another von Trier shocker. A bunch of intellectuals play at being mentally handicapped and annoy the people around them. There several scenes that are for strong stomachs only, and the sex orgy is so bold that it can easily be described as pornography. In short, Lars von Trier shocks again with gusto, but this time very skillfully and I quite like it in this case. (27.08.2002)

It’s smart, it’s bold, it’s fine. That said, I’m glad that in his later films Trier has formally settled down a little. Dogma 95 is an interesting manifest, but those films aren’t all that nice to watch, especially when they are two hours long. (29.07.2011)