The Element of Crime

In a dystopian future, detective Fisher returns to Germany to investigate a series of murders. Under hypnosis, he retraces the investigation through the method devised by his former mentor: inhabiting the killer’s mind to uncover the truth. His pursuit unfolds across a nocturnal, rain-soaked and spectral Europe, where the boundaries between hunter and prey dissolve into an expressionist nightmare of obsession and decay. The Element of Crime was Lars von Trier's first feature film and the beginning of the trilogy dedicated to Europe.

Duration: 104’
Production year: 1984
Country: DK
Language: EN, AR, DE Subtitles: PT

Upcoming sessions

21:00

São Jorge Cinema

Room 3

Cannes Film Festival 1984 — Technical Grand Prize
Fantasporto 1986 — Best Director

Lars von Trier

Born in 1956, Lars von Trier has established himself as the most ambitious and visually distinctive Danish filmmaker on the contemporary scene. He made his feature film debut with The Element of Crime (1984), which earned him international recognition, and solidified his reputation with Europa (1991), Breaking the Waves (1996) and The Idiots (1998). In 1995, he co-founded the Dogme 95 movement, which advocated a more austere and naturalistic approach to filmmaking. His work is characterised by formal experimentation, the subversion of cinematic conventions, and an exploration of the limits of representation. Dancer in the Dark (2000), winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, marked one of the most acclaimed moments of his career. Subsequent films such as Dogville (2003), Manderlay (2005), Melancholia (2011), Nymphomaniac: Vol. I and Vol. II (2013), and The House That Jack Built (2018) further confirmed the diversity and radical nature of his trajectory within European and international cinema.