Bjork delivers a performance so shocking, raw, and breathtaking! "Dancer" has to be one of the most emotionally draining films to watch.
I will skip the spoilers.
I stayed clear of viewing the film, fearing that it would be yet another movie tailor-made for a singer who wanted to take a shot at acting, with bells and whistles attached to distract from their poor acting ability.
Nothing could be less true when it comes to "Dancer in the Dark". It's candid-style feel, its silence, demands its performers to fill up the void with their talents. If you can't act, this is NOT the film you would want to take part in. Every fiber of your being is splayed out for audience viewing. Bjork either knew she could do it, or just took a gamble. It payed off enormously for us the audience, and for her.
The story is simple, yet complicated. The characters are gray, but colorful. The film, not classified as a drama, nor a musical, nor a horror film, but somehow it manages to be all three, and balances nicely.
"Dancer" is simply an indescribable movie. Most will skip its classification and instead go straight to notarizing how many nerves it hit in them personally.
How Bjork did not receive an Oscar for her performance, let alone a simple nomination, is blasphemous. "Dancer in the Dark" was ahead of its time, and had it been released now, when independent films are the mainstream, Bjork would have swept the Oscars.
Bjork not only delivered on acting duties but she also delivered the film's soundtrack, and title score, a score that deserves a place right up there with those of "Star Wars" and "E.T." Word of warning: You may feel spent by the time you get to the conclusion of the film. It will stick with you awhile after viewing.