Manderlay (2005)

I've really liked a number of mischievious Danish director Lars von Trier's works, but found myself struggling with "Dogville" (2003), the first part of a proposed American trilogy of which this movie is part two.  Well that film was a doddle in comparison, as huge chunks of "Manderlay" are ponderously unwatchable.  Despite this, the overall feeling at the end is that one has seen something worthwhile, despite ones reservations.  Part of the problem is that Bryce Dallas Howard, a very mumbly actress, has taken over from Nicole Kidman in the lead role and her papa is also now a different actor.  Yet much of the cast from the first movie appear in the second as completely different characters, which is also confusing.  The story concerns the heroine's blundering into a feudal situation at a Southern plantation where slavery is still the norm and trying in her do-goodish way to "free" the slaves.  That she only manages to create chaos is pure Von Trier.  The director has never visited the States and has been accused of blatant anti-Americanism in both films.  There is indeed much in this movie to upset the average American viewer, especially since the heroine lusts after their bodies, but there is also a strong case for blacks and the problems that they face.  I shudder to think what the third part of this trilogy will bring.