Dancer In The Dark

Director: Lars von Trier
140 mins Film4 Archive

Lars von Trier's astonishing musical drama, starring Björk

Selma (Björk) is a Czech immigrant, a single mother working in a factory in rural America. Her salvation is her passion for music, specifically, the all-singing, all-dancing numbers found in classic Hollywood musicals. Selma harbours a sad secret: she is losing her eyesight and her son stands to suffer the same fate if she can't put away enough money to secure him an operation. When a desperate neighbour falsely accuses Selma of stealing his savings, the drama of her life escalates to a tragic finale.

Awards

Dancer In The Dark won the Palme d'Or and Best Actress (Björk) awards at Cannes Film Festival 2000.