The Frame

I’m sorry, but I didn’t really get it. Bjork plays a factory worker whose increasing blindness threatens to keep her from being able to do her job, which will keep her from earning the money she needs for an operation that will prevent her son from suffering the same blindness. Add in the relationship with her not-as-happy-as-they-seem neighbors and a trenchant critique of the justice system and death penalty, and you have a pretty interesting story. And I did enjoy the way musical numbers were interspersed in the film, as her joyful escape from her joyless existence. But ultimately, this isn’t a von Trier film, which was what I was expecting. It’s a Bjork film, and her personality is so overpowering that I felt like the film couldn’t really breathe. I found her character difficult relate to because her mannerisms were incredibly distracting, and mostly she just seemed insane rather than joyful in the face of adversity. It’s an interesting experiment of a movie, but I don’t think it was wholly successful. At least not for me, not right now.
Above Average