The Element of Crime

For his debut feature, Lars von Trier directed this existential, surreal, sci-fi, noir noir in the tradition of Blade Runner (though much different). It is set in a post-apocalyptic Europe, visually shown in that the film is primarily shot in sepia tones, in which a detective returns to Europe, after having been in Cairo for many years, in order to solve a string of brutal child murders. Policing of the future is based on a technique developed by an aging professor (and the once mentor of the detective), called "The Element of Crime", in which the investigator must put himself in the mind of the killer in order to discover what he might do next. Little actually happens in the film, the characters mostly wander through the dreamy landscapes on some kind of an existential quest. Again, von Trier proves what a different filmmaker (stylistically speaking) he has become since embracing the "Dogma" method. Still, though, it is about a world that seems only a step removed from our own, and about characters who find themselves in place or events in which they seem to have no control. It's an impressive achievement if not a particularly watchable film, and fascinating if you're interested in documenting the progress of one of the boldest and most interesting filmmakers working today.