This could be our last song!

Dancer in the Dark (2000)

Director: Lars von Trier

The plot of this film may be all too familiar to followers of Indian cinema. Stories of self-sacrifice, white lies and concealment of the truth to protect the greater truth are all too common. In the western world, this type of pictures would make it to Cannes and earn many accolades!

There were too many loopholes in the story to be taken seriously, hence the mixed response at its premiere screening; it was booed and clapped simultaneously. Mainly because it was set in the early 60s USA and Björk (the Icelandic smiley superstar) did the music score and the acting, it was given a second lease of life.

Björk acts a Czechoslovakian immigrant, Selma Ježková, a single mother with a preteen son. She works in a factory making sinks and secretly holds a secret tightly to her chest. Selma has a hereditary degenerative eye disease which is slowly making her blind. She realises that it is just a matter of time before she becomes completely blind and gets sacked from her job. She is doing an extra job just to ensure that she saves enough money for her son's eye operation before the disease afflicts him too.

Björk

Selma and her son stay in a rented trailer. The landlord and his wife have a cordial relationship with Selma. Selma is a dreamer, plays music in her head and tries to take part in a musical. The landlord, a police officer, even though outwardly appears self-sufficient, is actually in dire straits because of his spendthrift wife. In desperation, he steals Selma's savings. A confrontation ensues, and the police officer is mortally wounded.

The rest of the movie dwells with Selma in court facing the noose and she being a sacrificial lamb just so that the son can see his grandchildren.

As awkward as it may sound, this seemingly heavy drama is actually a musical! Every now and then, even in the height of suspense, the cast will go into a song-and-dance routine. It is your usual fare of the plight of struggling immigrant in a land of unequal or misplaced justice. Even at the last juncture, (spoiler alert), as she is facing the gallows, the protagonist breaks into a song telling us to sing and be gay as that could be our last song.

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