La Barbara James Wigfall

Riveting and powerful demonstration of how social capital can wax and wane in a community due primarily from outside circumstances that force irrational actions. The film is not what one expects, from the 20 chapters narrated like a book to the minimal soundstage forcing each viewer to imagine the town's structures, buildings, pets, and environmental context. At first, this comprehension is unsettling as one formulates the place as the same time as understanding the dynamics and motives of each character. The conclusion is worth laboring through the many chapters. The conversation between the mysterious young woman, who triggers the community members' actions, and the gangster boss, is most profound and the point of the film. I saw this film in Spanish the first time. The visual delivery in Spanish was so graphic that I had no difficulty understanding the essence of the film. I watched the film in English the second time and found it just as profound and having a similar effect on me. Dogville is that perfect blend of imagination vs realism, philosophical conflict vs community action, and human nature vs idealism. Ultimately, the question "Is our best ever good enough?' should be answered with another question "For who?"