Director Lars von Trier has addressed the recent revelation that Dogville was one of Norway killer Anders Behring Breivik’s favorite films, right behind Gladiator and 300—whose directors will, of course, likely skate on the usual “the media is responsible” finger-pointing with the technicality that they’re based on historical events. Not so for von Trier, unfortunately, as even he can see the parallels between Breivik’s actions and the story he told: “I feel badly about thinking that Dogville, which in my eyes is one of my most successful films, should have been a kind of script for him. It’s horrific,” von Trier said in an interview with Denmark’s Politiken, adding that he recognizes the uncomfortable similarities between Breivik’s Norwegian camp massacre and the film’s ending. “If it was an inspiration, I'm sorry that I made it,” von Trier says, although he also points out that his intentions were “totally opposite” (“Namely, to ask whether we can accept a protagonist” who engages in that sort of act) as are his own personal views. Hopefully this will be enough to forgive him, as von Trier definitely doesn’t need any more association with mass murderers right now. [via Indiewire]
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