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Manderlay review
:. Director: Lars von Trier
:. Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Danny Glover
:. Running Time: 2:29
:. Year: 2006
:. Country: Denmark
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The moral of Manderlay, Lars von Trier's not-so-gentle lesson in American history, is best represented by the words of French playwright Jean Genet: "Crimes of which a people is ashamed constitute its real history. The same is true of man." If von Trier is to be believed, America has draped a thick and impenetrable shroud over the darker moments of its history, covering up any hint of mistreatment and hypocrisy with tales of good intention.
Almost seventy years after the abolition of slavery, Grace Mulligan (Bryce Dallas Howard, replacing Nicole Kidman) stumbles upon Manderlay, a 19th century plantation in Depression-era Alabama. Run by Mam (Lauren Bacall), a frail old woman whose motivation remains unclear, Manderlay's white guards are sorely outnumbered and poorly equipped. Grace's criminal father (Willem Dafoe, replacing James Caan) and his goons take control of the entire plantation; when Mam dies not long after, Grace sweet-talks control from her father, who leaves her to manage the newly freed slaves with only a handful of his well-armed men and an automobile.
Soon Grace takes on the responsibility of educating the Manderlay slaves in the ways of egalitarianism. She smothers them with tempered lessons in democracy, anger, and justice by majority. When she encourages them to express any opinion they may have, no matter how nominal, their sole grievance is with one of the men's humorless jokes. At the same time she sets her sights on Timothy (Isaach De Bankole), a broad-shouldered member of the Manderlay community who hides his feelings behind an unresponsive façade.
Manderlay's message is clearly aimed at Americans. The manner in which Grace first accosts the slaves, speaking almost rehearsedly of their obligation to be free, is idealistic and self-centered; she doesn't consider their condition, the possible circumstances of their stay. Her only goal is to repudiate the troubles of her own soul, of her Caucasian heritage. By the end of the film we see the devastation her blindness causes. Her lessons, well-intentioned and provocative at first, incur ruin on the Manderlay plantation. Some of the former slaves die, some are killed; distrust becomes a contagious disease; and famine threatens their well-being. Added to that is von Trier's palpable final blow—a collection of disturbing photographs exhibited to David Bowie's "Young Americans" over the closing credits. They finalize Manderlay in a way no other moment could.
Staged in the same manner as Dogville on almost entirely bare soundstage, with invisible props and sets represented by chalk-like dashes on the floor, the cinematography and editing are aptly erratic. A style pioneered by Von Trier, it disillusions while charging each scene with an air of impending instability. It leads us towards the sudden finale, when Wilhelm (Danny Glover), the plantation's elder, reveals the most astounding secrets of Manderlay to Grace. Suddenly she is the fool, an uneducated slave to her own prejudices.
Manderlay is a story both beautiful and disquieting—a return to our past that serves as a portrait of our present. Von Trier is depicting the America that presumes and meddles without second thought, that knows what's best for someone after subjecting them to the worst. Amidst the final photographs of lynchings, homelessness, and rallies is a lone, somber photograph of George W. Bush, clenched hands to his face. With this inconsistency comes the final piece of the Manderlay puzzle. More than anything this film is Von Trier's summation of the current political atmosphere, shrouded though it is in metaphors.
Perhaps all the negative criticism directed at Manderlay has nothing to do with its shaming manner or limited palate. There is a chance, albeit slim, that those who disapprove of Manderlay also fear its lessons may just be true.
Adam Terry Balz
 Dogville
Melancholia
Antichrist
Movie Reviews: Danish Films
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