--- title: "Dancer in the Dark: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/dancer-in-the-dark/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/dancer-in-the-dark" critics_score: 52 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Dancer in the Dark (2000): what the critics said Critics' score 52 from 14 reviews: 8 positive, 0 mixed, 6 negative. The reviews split almost down the middle, and the split is a real one: there is no mixed verdict here, only critics who are overwhelmed and critics who are appalled. Where there is agreement it is on Björk, whose performance as Selma most critics call the film’s one undeniable element, praised even by several who dislike everything around it. The admirers also value the way the musical numbers grow out of factory noise and everyday sound, and the collision of dread with rapture that follows. The objections cluster around manipulation: the plot contrivances, the melodramatic excess, and a tale of saintly self-sacrifice that some find hollow rather than moving. The Guardian and the Evening Standard go further, dismissing Björk’s performance as ridiculous or lifeless, and Variety faults the editing and sound of the numbers themselves. The New York Times sits oddly across the divide, finding the film both stupefyingly bad and overpowering, which is roughly where the consensus lands. ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 December 2000. The critic calls the film one of the year's most wrenching and unforgettable, praising how its musical sequences arise naturally from the story and reflect the heroine's generous worldview. Björk's vulnerable lead performance is singled out as what elevates the film beyond gimmickry. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/dancer-in-the-dark-1798192565) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 September 2000. Von Trier subverts and celebrates the musical genre with fantasy numbers triggered by everyday sounds; the film oozes dread but delivers a profound, heart-breaking performance from Björk and is the most involving cinema experience of the year. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/dancer-in-the-dark-review/) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Lars von Trier makes a powerful film that is both a musical and a meditation on musicals, mostly shot in Dogme style but with fantasised numbers. Björk gives a marvellous performance in a difficult role, and the result is haunting and beautiful. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/dancer-dark-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2000. Ebert views the film as a deliberate, reckless throwback to silent melodrama and soap opera fundamentals rather than a plausible story. He praises its bold rejection of slick modernism and Björk's committed performance as Selma. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dancer-in-the-dark-2000) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2000. Festival review. A bold genre fusion of song-and-dance fantasy and gut-wrenching melodrama that divides audiences but wins over the jury. Björk's debut performance is singled out as the revelation, growing in stature throughout. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/dancer-in-the-dark/402286.article) ## Sight and Sound — Peter Matthews Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). Björk delivers an astonishing performance that carries the film despite its florid situations. The critic highlights the plangent score as key to the movie's emotional power and devastating impact. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/339) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2000. Lane calls the film divisive and notes its solemn musical numbers even at the gallows, praising the way it blends dread with rapture and Björk's unfeigned flightiness. He singles out the raw exposure of pain and the contrast between musical reveries and grim reality. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2000/09/25/singin-through-the-pain) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 6 October 2000. Turan finds the film exasperating in its contradictions, fakery, and pretensions, criticizing its crude visuals, melodramatic excesses, and inauthentic approach. He singles out Björk's intense, genuine performance as the one authentic element amid the dross. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-oct-06-ca-32001-story.html) ## The New York Times — A. O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 22 September 2000. Festival review. Scott finds the film both stupefyingly bad and utterly overpowering, praising Björk's miraculous performance while noting its sadistic elements and refusal to move viewers in conventional ways. He highlights the tension between artistic conviction and cynicism. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/22/movies/film-festival-review-universe-without-happy-endings.html) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 22 February 2012. The film is seen as a hollow, emotionally upfront tale of saintly self-sacrifice with disingenuous plot contrivances. The musical sequences are criticised for imaginative poverty and the overall work falls short of von Trier's best or classic musicals. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/dancer-in-the-dark) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). Lars von Trier's musical is a disaster in every department and a waste of talent, with Björk giving a lifeless performance; the digital photography and numbers fail to work, and the whole enterprise is amateurish and over-the-top sentimental nonsense. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/dancer-in-the-dark-7433583.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 15 September 2000. The critic calls Dancer in the Dark the most sensationally silly film of the year, as well as the most shallow and crudely manipulative. He singles out Björk's performance as a ridiculous, squeaking diva turn and the plot as implausibly absurd and melodramatic. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/sep/15/1) ## Variety — Derek Elley Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 22 May 2000. Festival review. The critic pans the film as a self-important, artistically bankrupt exercise in auteurist excess that fails to reinvent the musical genre effectively. Bjork's performance is seen as awkward and lacking the dramatic weight needed, with the musical numbers undermined by poor editing and sound. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2000/film/markets-festivals/dancer-in-the-dark-2-1200462151/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. The critic praises Björk's intuitive acting talent that breaks the heart, highlighting her performance in the film's second half where her character's goodness is tested. The film is noted for its raw, Dogme-style approach and emotional depth in exploring sacrifice. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/dancer-in-the-dark-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/dancer-in-the-dark.md