The foundation of Dogma 95, the film manifesto signed in 1995 by four
Danish directors (Lars Von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Sřren Kragh Jacobsen,
Kristian Levring), is expressed in part of the manifesto with the title
Pledge of purity. This is where the rules of filmmaking, mostly in the form
of prohibition, are set. Generally, these rules refer to technical restrictions
(prohibited use of camera post, special lighting, changing of the set,
post-adding of sounds and music, optical treatment and filters) and subject
matter (superficial action, genre film, time and space deviations are
prohibited). All these rules, created with the goal of adding the films a bigger
dose of purity, directness and realism, are evident in Von Trier’s film
Idiots and in other films of the Dogme movement (Festen by
Vinterberg, Mifune by Jacobsen, The King is Alive by Levring).
However, Dogme’s directors often are the first ones to disobey these rules and
that only confirms that rules are not the essence of these films. The rules are
merely an expression of a tendency towards a certain goal and not the ultimate
duty. This goal is expressed in the films’ topics, which are completely
emotionally purified. Dogme’s films are true emotional earthquakes during which
the viewer grows closer with the characters’ tragic destinies – you get a
feeling that life drips from the screen. Idiots is the kind of a
film that will, if you manage to get accustomed to its raw and chaotic style,
enable you not only to be a witness but also a participant in this dramatic,
sincere, and disturbing human story. (Juraj Kukoč)