40in40 – Dancer in the Dark
My Netflix rating: 4/5 stars. it’s not your typical musical, but it moves you all the same.
“You just did what you had to do…”
The leading lady of this movie (she’s played by Björk but we’ll refer to her as the Dancer) has a tendency to slip into daydreams in order to escape the real world. In these dreams, people would sing and dance and help her overcome her problems, in only for that moment. For example, after committing a terrible crime, the Dancer was in a panic and desperately sought forgiveness. So, she imagined a scene where everybody that was involved in the crime sings for her, “You just did what you had to do…” over and over again.
“You just did what you had to do.” The phrase is both comforting and insistent at the same time. Sure, it grants some absolution but it doesn’t change the circumstances at all, does it? There’s still an absence of options and alternatives and hope. The phrase, and this movie, reminds me of those “would you rather” questions, the ones I’m so infamous for…
Would you rather… be blind or deaf?
This one’s easy for me because I could never survive without my hearing. The sights in this world are all too unremarkable, but music and sounds seem unique every new day. Dancer in the Dark provides some great support of my case. The songs in this film are hella wicked; they’re a somber blend of Broadway, Björk, and really really awkward cadences. Like every good musical, the songs drive the movie forward, even though they don’t contribute to reality. As our leading lady loses her sight, she is able to continue living through her musical renditions.
Anyways, I’ve been put to the test and I know I can get by without seeing, if at least I can hear and still communicate.
Would you rather… be an incompetent lead in a musical or a brilliant sideshow?
Another easy one for me, though I can relate to both sides of the argument. Who wants to be stuck on the sidelines and play brilliantly for an empty stadium? On the other hand, what good is the spotlight if it only highlights our deficiencies?
My mind’s made up: I would go down in a blaze of glory, but that’s only because I’m cowardly in my own ways. I wouldn’t be able to face my shortcomings and bow out gracefully, like the Dancer does in this movie. She forfeits the grand stage to have her own private dance. She lets the show go on for others because she knows she doesn’t belong in it. Not me, if I’m going down…
Would you rather… lie and save an enemy or tell the truth and hurt a friend?
I can’t answer this one, but it’s a doozie to think about. Does the blood of an enemy soak any less deep than that of a friend? Is the worth of a man any less valuable because he’s an enemy of mine? Will I be able to forgive myself any easier if it was an enemy? Will a friend be able to forgive me?
The frustration I’m feeling now makes me realize why people hate it when I ask these questions. It’s just dumb to get this emotional from a hypothetical situation.
But one last one…
Would you rather… face a horrible reality or live happily in a daydream?
It’s the theme of Dancer in the Dark. It’s the theme of many movies. I daresay it’s the theme of many of our lives. It’s also the sort of inquiry that makes me love these “would you rather” questions. Because, in the end, I often would rather…
“I don’t mind it at all, if you’re having a ball. This is your musical.” –Oldrich Novy
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Tags: bjork, dancer in the dark, musical, would you rather
would you rather… have no elbows or no knees?