STIG BJORKMAN
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBB. Sweden/Denmark, 1997. Danmarks Radio, Det Danske Filminstitut, Film i Väst, Memfis Film & Television, Svenska Filminstitutet, Sveriges Television. Screenplay by Stig Bjorkman. Cinematography by Bjorn Blixt, Anthony Dod Mantle, Jan Roed. Produced by Lars Jonsson. Film Editing by Leon Flamholc.
The impressive life and career of celebrated filmmaker Lars Von Trier is examined in this mini-documentary by Stig Bjorkman. Von Trier’s family life and upbringing are detailed to a satisfying degree before we find out about his unorthodox training in cinema, both in film school as well as his own personal projects that he made with a home movie camera from childhood. The film was produced at the time that Breaking The Waves was about to make von Trier a household name, and gives some great glimpses into the making of that film as well as his experiences shooting his debut The Element of Crime, the six-hour miniseries The Kingdom and his art-house hit Europa (Zentropa). Not a hugely satisfying experience as documentaries go, but fans of the quirky artist will find a lot to enjoy.
