Europa (1991)

Directed by
Genre
Reviewed by Simon 12/2/2023
Reviewed by Simon on 2023-12-02

The third film in Lars Von Trier's nebulous "Europe" trilogy is the most accomplished of the three, albeit clearly still the work of a young director enchanted with his own cleverness.

The film revels in artifice, the conspicuous use of rear projection being the most notable, but quite effective in evoking the cinema of the era when it was set. The story is more narrative driven than The Element Of Crime but the story is told at a remove... we are detached observers, not present in the moment.

You need to see Europa to understand the Dogme 95 movement that Lars spearheaded, as it is exactly the sort of film that the Dogme principles forbid. Presumably something was exorcised in its making.