Lars von Trier: “I think working with actors is a little bit how a chef would work with a potato…”

Lars von Trier: Sorry you can only see the top half of me, but I’m not wearing any pants.

Brian Brooks: (Laughs) Neither am I.  I’m Brian and this is my colleague Eugene.  This is my second time seeing you on video, talking about [“Antichrist”].  The first was at the Toronto [International Film Festival in September], and I know you did the same at the New York Film Festival.  I’m just wondering what you think of the reactions in North America to “Antichrist” so far?

Lars von Trier:  They are much more positive than I would have thought.  Actually, I’m quite fine with any reaction, but I think they’ve seemed a bit more interested in the film.  There was a tendency in Cannes, I think, to go a little bit after the man instead of after the ball—that it was very important, what I meant and what I felt—which is, you know, maybe not the best way to see a film.

Brian Brooks: So, as you may know, we solicited our readers for questions to ask you.  So I’m gonna go ahead and start that…

Lars von Trier: Okay, so let’s see what happens…  [laughs]

Brian Brooks: This is from a film student.  His name is Jason Cooper.  He said, “I felt that ‘Antichrist’ was very reminiscent of your early work, ‘The Element of Crime,’ and I was wondering if, at least stylistically, you were consciously moving away from your more stripped-down methods that were used in ‘The Idiots’ and ‘Breaking the Waves’?”

Lars von Trier:  Yes, I must say I am. You know, doing “Dogville” and “Mandalay” kind of was an example of, you know, going to an extreme where you couldn’t go any further. So I had to kind of went one step back and used only some of the techniques I’ve used before.

Brian Brooks:  This was a follow-up question from Jason. “Are you aware of the undercurrent of themes in your work (specifically in ‘Antichrist’), such as nature and its relationship with sexuality, as you write your scripts?  Or is this something that comes about after the script?”

Lars von Trier:  Yes, I am aware of that, but what I’m not aware of is that suddenly something turns out very simple.

Brian Brooks:  Finally, was there a purpose behind only having two actors with this film thematically, or was this the ideal option because you know you would have to direct this film while suffering from depression?

Lars von Trier:  No no no.  It had nothing to do with that. But I think that any director at a certain time has a dream of making a film with only two persons in it. It’s almost a mini-Dogme thing. It’s interesting to see if you can make it work somehow. It’s egoistic.

Brian Brooks: Alright, different person. From Luke Moses—“Death takes grief and depression to an entirely new level.  Knowing your portrayal of what a mother will do to save her child (as shown in ‘Dancer in the Dark’), is ‘Antichrist’ your view on what a mother can be capable of once these incredibly strong and forceful feelings become displaced?”

Lars von Trier:  That’s a very good question.  I can only say yes, I think so.  Yeah, I have thought about that, but she was also in the same situation.  Yeah, I can only apologize.

Eugene Hernandez:  What do you mean by that?

Lars von Trier:  When you put it like that, the film has the tendency to be more banal than it really is.  The film is much more than just a foundation for a film.  Of course, I work very much with the collisions between different things—sexuality and nature, sexuality and morals—all of these things, but when you have a mention like this, I hope the film is better than that.

—continued on page two—

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Will you head out to see “Antichrist” when it hits a cinema near you?

	Hell yes...
	Perhaps if I hear from friends that it's "good."
	I will wait for VOD.
	I would rather be tortured by my spouse...

Read & React: Lars von Trier: “I think working with actors is a little bit how a chef would work with a potato…”