Dancer in the Dark

Last Christmas I heard Bjork’s version of “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music on the radio. The lyrics were the same as the original but the intonation was eerie – it was sung as a sad, emotionally wrenching lament. The DJ mentioned it was from the film Dancer in the Dark, and now, eight moths later; it finally reached the top of my Netflix queue. I’m a big fan of Bjork’s voice and music, especially the older stuff, so I wanted to enjoy this film – but there were parts, particularly in the middle, that were almost impossible to get through because the story-line is just so tragic. When one terrible circumstance after another happens it just gets a bit too depressing to watch. Bjork is quirky, lovely, and complex in the role of Selma, a blind factory worker desperately saving money for an operation that her son needs. However, some of the other characters – Bill, the landlord, and Jeff, the co-worker who loves Selma - are too wooden and one-dimensional. I have to say that the best part of the film was the scene where Selma sings “My Favorites Things” – it made everything else worthwhile.