The Boss of It All-Directors for the Hele (2006)

Directed by: Lars von Trier | 95 minutes | comedy | Actors: Jens Albinus, Peter Gantzler, Benedikt Erlingsson, Iben Hjejle, Henrik Prip, Mia Lyhne, Casper Christensen, Louise Mieritz, Jean-Marc Barr, Sofie Gråbøl, Anders Hove, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson

While his films differ enormously from each other, the oeuvre of the Danish ideas factory Lars von Trier has one guiding principle: the need for experiment. From the hypnotic black-and-white images of ‘Europe’ and the glorified stage registration of ‘Dogville’, to the declamation and application of the now very influential Dogme Rules: there is always plenty of room for experimentation. Although the results of those experiments are not always memorable, a new Von Trier remains something to look forward to.

The most recent production of the Dane is called ‘The Boss of It All’ and in this he happily continues to experiment. His latest toy is called Automavision: a process in which not the director but a computer decides what the camera will do. Since that computer knows nothing about aesthetic principles, the images and movements of the camera are completely random. For example, characters often fall completely or partially outside the frame and the film regularly changes color. To make the party complete, the sound image also appears to be a mess and the editing is of the most bouncy kind.

All this ensures that the viewer has little fun with this comedy for the first half hour. Yet it is not only the technical play that makes the first part such a difficult undertaking. The characters deviate considerably from the usual and the humor has little to do with real jokes but is mostly hidden under the surface of the events. Normally not a problem for a bit of film buff, but added to the cinematic experiments, it turns out to be a bit too much here.

Strangely enough, ‘The Boss of It All’ becomes enjoyable after that first half hour. Once used to it, Automavision proves to be a suitable means to focus all attention on story, dialogue and acting, without the viewer being manipulated by camera movements or other cinematic tricks. In addition, you get more and more used to all those crazy typos and the already strong story has more and more fun twists. Plus, the acting is strong across the board, with Mia Lyhne in particular standing out as the adorable Heidi A.

The latest film by the now fifty-year-old Dane has once again become a special case. It is unlikely that Automavision will be as much imitated as Dogme, if only because the images here deviate too much from any aesthetic convention. At the same time, the question remains whether ‘The Boss of It All’ would not have become a lot stronger if Von Trier had taken a more traditional approach. On the other hand, a film that manages to annoy you for half an hour and then amuse you for a full hour, actually fits perfectly within the oeuvre of that idiosyncratic Dane.