d o g v i l l e

Just finished watching D o g v i l l e (couldn't eat it all on Saturday night).

I liked it, in some ways: Nicole Kidman was immense, and restrained, and -- of course -- beautiful as Grace, and the rest of the cast were convincing. But...but: I somehow feel that the allegorical content passed me by/went over my head. There were flashes of clarity, where I saw Grace as the innocent incomer, the wide-eyed believer in the American Dream, the symbol of the people who migrated from Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries, seeking...stuff...and who found that this particular promised land was as corrupt, and as imperfect, and as humanly frail as everywhere else. The closing titles were beautiful, and tragic, and ironic, and searingly sad. But...I didn't find her transition (to the John Hurt voiceover about moonlight on Dogville) emotionally convincing...it felt too cerebrally-led, and not reified/emotionally true enough.

But a very engaging film, overall. It's left me thinking about some stuff (which may or may not become clearer...)