Very popular with connoisseurs, director Lars von Trier made an almost immediate impact when moving to work in Hollywood. Many would agree also that he has a thing or two in common with a renewed perspective in treating core theological themes in grand cinema. One of his big hits, “Dogville”, is more than a innovative play with the cinecamera and with the hearts of cinephiles alike, with his use of stage-like scenography, humble and unostentatious decors and a cast that strives more for inner depth than typical glamour. Generally, art at its best seems to come out of nowhere; this is the case with "Dogville" as well: it is a story describing with force and conviction a system of relations very much copyed from theology.

First of all, Lars von Trier already had movies speaking of sacrifice that aimed at breaking theological and cultural prejudices and clichés. We can start by mentioning his previous, controversial, but nevertheless poignant and touching “Breaking the waves”. He is definitely not every Christian's cup of tea with his taste for explicit nudity. But that is only a sidenote: the sacrifice for others, undertaken usually by an otherwise unsuspecting heroine, with no other intention but to change the inner being of the neighbor, is a recurring leitmotiv. It was candidly present in "Breaking the waves", tenebrously moving in "Dancer in the Dark, and seems equally ingenuous, but yet unforgiving, in “Dogville”

This is a movie that should touch the heart of a theologian as a psalm in a time of need. It depicts the simple life lived by a community which welcomes one day a beautiful girl (Grace) running for her life in fear. Together they choose to hide her, in exchange for the help she could provide on daily basis. Time goes on and the community flourishes, pushed forward by the skilled hands of the new member. Against all odds, the young girl makes the life of Dogville more pleasant, she contributes to the happiness of all.

But the happiness comes rumbling down when Grace starts to be seen as a slave inside the small town. It's hard to be blunt without spoiling the mystery, but it is a splendid metaphor, with the grace becoming the slave of darkened human hearts. She ends up tied-up to her bed during the night, raped at the whims of implacable and merciless men , fails to run away from her slavery. In the end, she is found by the people that have precipitated her refuge in Dogville, a gang of mobsters. Many might be shocked, but the syndicate is run by her father. Skip his emotions when he discovers Grace in her deplorable condition, but he lets her decide what would be the destiny of Dogville and what would happen with its miserable human citizens. Things appear to come to a conclusion with a worthy return to the Old Testament story of Lot, who tried to discover the few people able to withstand God's trial and save their damned cities. It is not much until Grace similarly reaches Lot's tragic discovery when she fails to discover the one righteous man needed. Everything ends up in a bloodbath, under the inexorable gunfire of the syndicate men.

The film is surprising and emotionally complex. A theological reading adda to its value, especially when one allows for a reading about Grace as a Jesus-like character (the novelty is that Dogville has one of the few Jesus-characters played by a woman), trying to make the past to be forgotten and to change the quality of life and the people for the better. In spite of all difficulties, she is a relentless optimist with her unstoppable hope that the love for one neighbor has the power to change misery into joy and sough happiness. There are scenes of moving candour with Grance not losing faith, even after standing tall in front of all the painstaking work everybody puts on her shoulders and in the wake of the wretchedness humans are able to pour on her

But, with the final twist, the victim becomes the judge, abandoning with unmerciful (and righteous?) vengeance, those who didn’t share her passion and love with open heart. Behind the vindictive ending scene, some might find a deeper interpretation of the actual person of Grace. She goes to her father and the latters tells her: “You have all the power I’ve given to you”. Together with the fact she has the power to make everything bloom and to change things, we can say this film is a beautiful meditation over the power, the ministry and the role of God inside the creation.

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