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The idiots (Idioterne) - Bodil Jørgensen, Jens Albinus, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Lars von Trier

Threat advisory: Severe - Severe risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

You're a whole lot dumber than you think...

A group of young people share one interest: idiocy. With a large house as their base, they spend all their spare time together spazzing about - ie pretending in public and frequently among themselves to be mentally and/or physically handicapped. They want to live out the excessive feelings, the aggression, the curiosity and the uncontrolled, egotistical primitive sexuality. A lonely drifter, Karen (Bodil Jørgensen), gets drawn into their game and gradually becomes one of them.

The idiots (Idioterne) - Dogme 2 is certified as having been made in compliance with the rules and intentions set forth in the Dogme 95 manifesto. Official competition at Cannes 1998.

Karen (Bodil Jørgensen)
Weepy Retard. Karen is severely retarded. Character maturity corresponding to that of a 4-year-old. She appears calm, subdued, predominantly accommodating. She is reactive and vulnerable. Cries easily. Karen is incapable of life outside a restrictive, protective setting. Note: gives the group what she has lost.

Stoffer (Jens Albinus)
Irascible Retard. Intelligence tests place Stoffer in the lower quartile of the retard scale. Backward maturity-wise. He possesses formal contact abilities and is very interested in making the right impression, but maladjusted relaxation reactions occur frequently. Likes things of a technical bent. Note: probably something of a Søllerød fascist himself.

Susanne (Louise Hassing)
Carer Retard. Susanne is slightly above average intelligence. She is markedly emotional. She is empathetic and tender in her relations with others, in which she plays the role of parent. She is non-confrontational and prone to idolisation. She has conventional perceptions of what is realistically possible. She has worked with the mentally handicapped. Note: she is a childhood friend of Irascible Retard and was never the doctor when they played the game.

Henrik (Troels Lyby)
Slow Retard. Henrik has contact problems to such a degree that he must be regarded as autistic. Pronounced apathy, massive initiative deficiency. His behaviour is increasingly institutionalised: he is quiet, subservient, clean. Low fear threshold, is disturbed by change. It is very difficult to get Henrik even somewhat activated. Note: did a thesis on calligraphy.

Jeppe (Nikolaj Lie Kaas)
Baby Retard. Jeppe is demented as the result of early brain damage. Affectionate, vulnerable, defective temper control, poor frustration tolerance. A tendency to violent jealousy reactions. He bursts into tears, bites his lips, cuts himself off and shuts himself in his room. Capable of influence via ordinary counselling and sanctions. Note: a bit of a hero if you ask him; younger brother of Irascible Retard. (Mad about Scaredy Retard.)

Ped (Henrik Prip)
Wheelchair Retard. Ped is severely physically handicapped; his speech is defective. He is in the care of his spouse. Sub-average general intellectual functioning. Unyielding, persistent bitterness regarding his situation. Note: in moments of clarity he maintains the Retard journal. He is actually a doctor, although Irascible Retard finds that hard to believe.

Miguel (Luis Mesonero)
Refugee Retard. Miguel is heavily retarded and in need of care. He applied for asylum in Søllerød. Stereotypical, obsessive behaviour: grimaces, belching, clapping, urinating. Prone to impulse-driven reactions and assaults of a sexual nature. He has been violent in conjunction with sexual relations. Sterilised. Note: an idiot because he misses southern climes.

Josephine (Louise Mieritz)
Scaredy Retard. Josephine suffers from schizophrenia. She is understimulated with a marked tendency to adjust to her surroundings. Contact deficient, inadequate defences. Her behaviour is disturbed, nervous, despondent, depressed, neurotic, characterised by panic reactions. A somewhat reluctant attitude to continued drug treatment. Note: is scared of everyone except Baby Retard, and that's stupid.

Axel (Knud Romer Jørgensen)
Dopey Retard. Axel is severely brain-damaged. Underdeveloped personality. Emotionally immature. Sub-average general intellectual functioning. Impaired adaptive behaviour, with reduced frustration threshold. Occasionally displays a tendency to initiate fights, but otherwise does not pose a danger to the safety of others. Note: all this also applies to him in his professional life.

Nana (Trine Michelsen)
Frilly Retard. Nana is of average intelligence. Narcissistic by nature, with a weak sense of reality. She is obsessed by her appearance and clothing, probably because of profound insecurity. Her marriage is characterised by arguments about money. Among other things, Nana wants to have fun, an occupation in which her spouse is not interested. Note: in the boutique it fitted like a dream. PS: married to Wheelchair Retard.

Katrine (Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis)
Mischief Retard. Katrine is a congenital imbecile. Extremely disturbed, very demanding. She is impulse-driven, sexually active, prone to kleptomania. A pronounced tendency to tease the others; she cries when she is teased. It is always the others' fault. Poor personal hygiene. Note: has been to Jutland.

Persons of interest

  • Bodil Jørgensen .... Karen
  • Jens Albinus .... Stoffer
  • Anne Louise Hassing .... Susanne
  • Troels Lyby .... Henrik
  • Nikolaj Lie Kaas .... Jeppe
  • Louise Mieritz .... Josephine
  • Henrik Prip .... Ped
  • Luis Mesonero .... Miguel
  • Knud Romer Jørgensen .... Axel
  • Trine Michelsen .... Nana
  • Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis .... Katrine
  • Erik Wedersøe .... Svend
  • Louise B. Clausen .... Linda
  • Hans Henrik Clemensen .... Anders
  • Lone Lindorff .... Karen's Mother
  • Erno Müller .... Karen's Grandfather
  • Regitze Estrup .... Louise
  • Lotte Munk .... Britta
  • Lars von Trier .... Screenwriter
  • Lars von Trier .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

Woo hoo!

Those wacky Danes!

Lars is not only wacky, he's legendary. The idiots (Idioterne) takes biting social commentary, adds drama, romance and sex and makes you think it's a documentary. The Dogme 95 way of filmmaking is very in your face; at no time can you be sure of what is going to happen. I like it like that.

Spazzes ("spasses" to whoever wrote the subtitles) are one of the great unmentionable topics for filmmaking. If they are included, they have to be just like normal people (eg The eighth day). The idiots (Idioterne) turns this idea on its head. The normal people are searching for reality by being abnormal. This allows them to get inside their own minds at release their inner idiot. It's a great concept, one which more people should use (no names will be mentioned at this time, but there's a certain capitalist northern hemisphere country which could benefit no end).

What sort of film does this weird shit make? Well... weird! The idiots (Idioterne) is a hard-core, left field, silly, wacky, killer funny piss take of political correctness, psychobabble, relationships, cults, losers, humanity and swimming. The actors are as real in spazz mode as they are in normal mode. Their multiple personalities are mirrors to each other. It's like seeing inside them, like having the mask of normality ripped away.

Bodil Jørgensen's Karen is a pathetic lost soul which you don't know whether to put out of its misery or yours. Jens Albinus' Stoffer is as much patient as doctor. Nikolaj Lie Kaas's Jeppe aches with a poignant innocence few actors can achieve (he's cute, too, and that never hurts!).

Lars has created a wild ficto-documentary (ficto-doco to your Australian friends) that is as rewarding as it is confronting. It's a laugh, a hoot, a riot, a teary, sad film that you will enjoy, I guarantee it.

Media intelligence (DVD)

  • Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • Languages: Danish
  • Picture: Widescreen
  • Special features:
    • Biographies: Filmographies
    • Featurettes: Dogme manifesto
    • Galleries: Stills
    • Trailers: Theatrical
  • Subtitles: English

Security censorship classification

R 18+ (Adult themes, medium level sex scene)

Surveillance time

109 minutes (1:49 hours)

Not for public release in Australia before date

Film: 26 August 1999 - Melbourne, Sydney
DVD rental: 16 March 2005
VHS rental: 16 March 2005

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The idiots (Idioterne) image

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