The Element of Crime (Review)

I always knew that Lars was a Tarkovsky fan but damn, the influence here is astonishing. Lars Von Trier creates a twisted and sadistic sculpture of time in contrast to Tarkovsky’s humanitarian and honest look at society. Like the beginning of Stalker, we are placed in a sepia tone world where characters don’t have the option of choosing a path. Von Trier lays out one of his preoccupations here by keeping us in this world. Like the people who inhabit it, we too must follow the path of no direction.

The main character in this wonderless world is an ex-detective, Fisher, who undergoes hypnosis to revisit a case. He uses the method of an old criminal professor whose techniques involve sympathising with the killer. As Fisher goes down this rabbit hole he finds himself consumed in the life of the killer, even connecting with the same people. In a way, The Element of Crime isn’t a building block for Von Trier’s career and the films he would make later. Rather, it feels like a continuation of his work. His ideas and interests are there but it seemingly appears that he gets bored of such themes and he later decided to explore the role of a filmmaker. Alas, he was not at this point in his career here.

If this came out now in Von Trier’s career it would be a summation of his career (and would probably be critically acclaimed). Sympathy for the unlikable, a self-destructive society and individuals whose actions are detrimental to themselves and those around them. Instead, he managed to have a focused body of work from the commencement. One that has let us try understand this man right from the start.

In the mid-career and newer films of Von Trier, his approach to coverage mixes documentary and coverage making use of jump cuts and zooms. Once again his career seems to play out in reverse as Von Trier makes use of a dolly every chance he can get here. Something directors generally use more and more of as time goes on. Time can be hypnotising by witnessing it and that’s exactly what both Tarkovsky and Von Trier do. At the low points of Stalker and The Element of Crime, the main character leans back onto the grass and attaches themselves to the ground by focusing on the senses. This sensory experience could be one of the hardest things for a filmmaker to pull off. It’s a palpable representation of the mind and an opportunity for the audience to enter the world of the character in a hypnotic fashion. Something that Von Trier has discouraged himself from doing later on. He realised we don’t deserve a connection like this, why do we even deserve one? (Towards the end their’s also a dog that looks just like the one in Stalker).

The washed out sepia aesthetic of the film echoes German Expressionism. These films often include a monochromatic look with little contrast. Except that it’s the size of the film that defines this genre. It was Dr Caligari’s plot and rooftop settings, Nosferatu's mystery and Metropolis’s world building. The performances in each are of a grandiose scale as the sound was not there to assist them. While the performances here aren’t most the expressive they are a continuation of the world. It’s also this visual aspect of the film that gives it a “horror” vibe.

A true horror film isn’t one that gives the audience the most jumps. It’s the one that disturbs you on a personal level. Even then The Element of Crime doesn’t fit into the category of films like The Haunting, The Witch or Cache. This is one of nihilism on a level that makes the others look optimistic. The same could be said for plenty of other Von Trier movies but the embodiment of the world here is what sets it apart. Breaking the Waves and Dancer in the Dark are authentic in their way of looking at human behaviour and society’s expectations and it’s toxic effects on those we don’t care to understand better. Except, we are asked to care in those films, to care for someone who we wouldn’t otherwise do so. The Element of Crime is purely nihilistic and doesn't offer any retribution on those who do wrong. After all, we’re probably the ones doing the wrong. Which for most people is the horror we don't want to admit.

This bastardised sculpture of time represents the building blocks of one cinema’s most notorious figures and it makes sense that his first film is probably the least controversial. The House That Jack Built comes out next month in Australia but I already know there will be walkouts. These are the audience members I despise the most. Those who put no effort into connecting with a piece of work, especially when it’s having the intended effect on you. This is something Von Trier has been doing well at since the beginning.

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