Lars von Trier

""Welcome to the world of Lars von Trier, where babies falling out of windows is the LEAST of your problems!""

- Kyle Kallgren, Brows Held High

Lars von Trier (born Lars Trier, 30 April 1956) is a Danish avant-garde director whose works are heavily on the cynical side of Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism. His films often have emotional pain and depression as their central themes, and just as often portray humankind as inherently evil creatures that are more than happy to exploit, torment and ultimately destroy the few kind and selfless individuals in the world.

As a director, Trier is well-known for his extensive use of Black Comedy, his weird ability to make actors perform way beyond their personal boundaries, and being one of the writers of the Dogme 95 Manifesto.

The "von" in his name does not come from German nobility, but is in fact an in-jokish nickname Trier had amongst his fellow students in film school. He ultimately decided to keep the nickname to pay homage to Erich von Stroheim and Josef von Sternberg, who also added their "von" later in life.


 * The Orchid Gardener (1977)
 * Images of Liberation (1982)
 * The Element of Crime (1984)
 * Epidemic (1987)
 * Medea (1988 TV movie)
 * Europa (1991)
 * Riget (1994 and 1997 miniseries)
 * Breaking the Waves (1996)
 * The Idiots (1998)
 * Dancer in the Dark (2000)
 * The Five Obstructions (2003 documentary)
 * Dogville (2003, first part of USA – Land of Opportunities)
 * Manderlay (2005, second part of USA – Land of Opportunities)
 * The Boss of It All (2006)
 * Antichrist (2009)
 * Melancholia (2011)
 * Nymphomaniac (2013, released in two parts)
 * The House That Jack Built (2018)