The Idiots (1998)

Plot Summary: A group of able-bodied adults living in a commune on the outskirts of Copenhagen spend their days pretending to be mentally disabled in public, a practice they call "spazzing." When a quiet, reserved woman named Karen wanders into their world, the group's provocations begin to unravel into something far more raw and devastating.

Danish Title: Idioterne
Director: Lars von Trier (uncredited; under Dogme 95 rules)
Writer: Lars von Trier
Producer: Vibeke Windeløv

Starring:
Bodil Jørgensen as Karen
Jens Albinus as Stoffer
Anne Louise Hassing as Susanne
Troels Lyby as Henrik
Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Jeppe
Louise Mieritz as Josephine
Henrik Prip as Ped

 

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️

Diving into the Dogma (and the Depravity)

Hello dear reader! Today I found some time to write a review on last night's movie, The Idiots (1998). This is the second movie I've watched by the highly controversial director Lars von Trier. I've only watched Dogville back somewhere in time, and I remember not liking it very much. This is one of those directors whom I've spent my life surrounded by people talking about his shocking movies, but never actually sat down to watch them. Since I got really curious about the Dogma 95 movement, I decided to check The Idiots out.

For the less aware, this movie is filled with disturbing sh**. You will see explicit pornographic scenes (not done by the main cast, which actually breaks a rule of the Dogma manifesto), an erect penis right in your face, a bathroom scene where a biker holds a penis to help a "spaz" take a piss, and the whole bizarre premise of the movie: a group of able-bodied people who live life pretending to be mentally handicapped. For those already familiar with Von Trier, nothing new has emerged here, and hundreds of reviews have already covered everything I could say. To those coming across this one for the first time, be very wary.

Watch the clip below of the group in action at a public swimming pool.

F**king Boom Mics

My main, and perhaps only, criticism of this second Dogma film concerns the f**king boom mics. I hate seeing them constantly; they really break the mood for me. It's just too sloppy. I can handle the shaky camera and all the low-budget rules, but those mics kinda piss me off. With that out of the way, the movie is surprisingly entertaining, featuring believable performances that genuinely make you feel like you are watching a documentary. It's a documentary that left me deeply uncomfortable, but in a good, pensive way.

I also greatly enjoyed another of the movie's rules — not broken, but cleverly circumvented — which was the use of music. To bypass the ban on emotional scoring, Von Trier hired a musician to play Camille Saint-Saëns' The Swan live on a harmonica just outside the frame during filming (you can listen to the gorgeous track here). This created a score that technically adhered to Rule No. 2 while subverting the spirit of the manifesto. The music made the scene phenomenal.

Speaking of phenomenal, the casting entirely circumvented conventional screen tests. Instead, casting director Rie Hedegaard and Von Trier mandated a massive collective improvisation involving twenty-two actors in a gymnasium, facilitated by a drama teacher. According to actor Jens Albinus, Von Trier retreated to his home in Sweden immediately following this and rapidly drafted the screenplay in a mere five days, tailoring the narrative directly to the idiosyncrasies the actors had organically established.

Check out the thought-provoking scene below where real mentally disabled people join the bohemian group.

Psychological Warfare and a Haunting Conclusion

The most controversial aspect of the actor preparation involved Von Trier's employment of psychological manipulation to elicit visceral reactions. These techniques frequently breached traditional ethical boundaries, operating closer to psychological warfare than cinematic direction. To extract the necessary maternal anguish from Bodil Jørgensen for a critical scene, Von Trier exploited an ongoing, real-life personal trauma. During production, Jørgensen's actual infant son had fallen severely ill. Rather than allowing the actress to rely on emotional recall, Von Trier unexpectedly slipped a photograph of a baby into the scene while the camera was rolling. This unscripted visual stimulus triggered an immediate, devastating psychological collapse, reducing Jørgensen to genuine, agonizing tears. The sheer reality of this breakdown caused her co-star, Anne Louise Hassing, to sob uncontrollably for half an hour, capturing primal emotion no scripted dialogue could have achieved.

Ultimately, I will be forever haunted by the image of the main character acting mentally disabled with cake in her mouth in that last scene. It's psychologically gruesome, a scene that brought me sadness, confusion, and repulsion. That commitment to acting like a spaz in such a situation is extremely disturbing. In conclusion, I enjoyed the uncomfortable ride and would recommend it to anyone who isn't easily offended or shocked.

Watch the magnificent, uncomfortable ending scene right down below.

Freddy's Final Rating

72

Boom mics, an erect penis, Saint-Saëns on a harmonica, and the most haunting final image Von Trier ever burned into my brain... so far

📦 Own a Piece of Dogme 95

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📀 The Idiots — DVD
The full uncensored version for the brave souls who want this one on their shelf.
View on Amazon

📼 The Idiots — VHS Tape
For the purists who want to watch shaky Dogme footage on equally shaky magnetic tape.
View on Amazon

🎬 You Might Also Enjoy:

The Celebration (1998)
The first Dogme 95 film, also shot on a Handycam, also deeply uncomfortable, and considerably better than this one.

Sentimental Value (2025)
Another universally acclaimed Scandinavian drama. Unlike The Idiots, it will bore you to sleep rather than disturb you awake.

Bring Them Down (2024)
If you enjoy watching people make devastating choices in raw, uncomfortable settings, this Irish revenge drama is for you.