Danes Enjoy Hearing Nonsense!
Lars von Trier, the renowned Danish director who is often credited with reviving Danish cinema—and who gained significant popularity and respect among Iranian cinephiles for his film Dogville—had sent his new film The Boss of It All to the San Sebastián Film Festival in 2006, but he himself remained in Copenhagen.
It was said at the time that he was mourning the death of someone close to him, but everyone knew that von Trier suffers from an intense fear of traveling—whether by plane, train, ship, or car. He would make it to Cannes once a year with great hesitation, but showed little interest in going anywhere else. Even his Cannes appearances were often accompanied by controversy and something resembling expulsion.
In that particular year, instead of attending Cannes, he decided to send the same film to the Danish Film Festival and skip the trip altogether—to spend time among the trees and greenery on his land!
After the screening of the film, von Trier gave an interview to journalists via videophone, which was frustrating for everyone involved. The connection was poor, and a translator in Denmark had to interpret the questions for him. Then he would answer, and those answers were broadcast in Spanish and English in the conference room. Throughout, von Trier’s dazed and confused face was projected on the festival’s monitors.
The Boss of It All has an interesting concept, but in my opinion, it lacks the charm of his earlier works. It’s full of dialogue, because the spoken word holds enormous importance in the film. The torrent of back-and-forth, ping-pong-style lines gives the audience no breathing room, and viewers often have their eyes on the subtitles instead of the visuals, so they don’t miss anything. Von Trier tells his quirky story with strange blocking, visual jump-cuts, and surprising edits:
“A software company owner wants to sell his business. The problem is, back when he founded the company, he invented a fake figurehead to act as the company head, while he himself stayed in the background. Now the buyers—most of whom are Icelandic—want to negotiate face-to-face with the owner. But the so-called boss is actually an unknown actor, unfit for the task, and that’s where the crisis and comedic situations begin. There’s also a psychological twist: the emotional relationship between Danes and Icelanders is hilariously dysfunctional.”
I asked von Trier: What’s the secret to making a successful comedy?
He answered: “The only thing you have to do is find things that are funny to you personally. That’s it!”
Known for his provocative and unfiltered interviews, he shared an amusing insight about Danes:
“It’s basically part of the Danish identity now—they like to hear that they’re idiots! Maybe it’s because Denmark is a small country and the people are somewhat masochistic. Here, when Icelanders—who have bought parts of Denmark over the last 400 years—scream nonsense at them, Danes actually enjoy it!”
Although his remarks didn’t spark much backlash in Denmark at the time, von Trier made far more controversial statements during the press conference for Melancholia on May 18, 2011, at the Cannes Film Festival:
“I found out that I’m actually a Nazi! My family was German, and that gives me pleasure. What can I say? I understand Hitler… I sympathize with him a little. But keep in mind, I don’t belong to World War II, and I’m not anti-Semitic—not too much anyway, because Israel is a pain in the ass. So, how can I say that… yes, I’m a Nazi!”
Following this statement, the Cannes organizers issued a declaration naming von Trier a “persona non grata” and expelled him from the festival.
Soon after, the Cannes officials demanded that von Trier clarify his remarks about Hitler. He was forced to issue an apology. But after being expelled, von Trier retracted that apology.
The situation escalated when the Danish police summoned von Trier to court over allegations brought by French authorities. After questioning, he issued a statement saying:
“Due to the serious accusations against me and the fact that I cannot express my views clearly, I’ve decided from now on to refrain from public speaking and interviews.”
In response to the festival’s decision, von Trier told the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet:
“I’m proud to have been called an undesirable element. Maybe this is the first time something like this has happened.”
He later gave another interview to Denmark’s TV2 News, saying:
“I am who I am, and I can’t change myself…”
