Epidemic

Two filmmakers are writing a screenplay about a plague. As they work on it, the epidemic they've imagined seems to be spreading in reality… EPIDEMIC is both self-reflection and sabotage: a film about storytelling that constantly undermines its own narrative. Von Trier, who plays a leading role here for the only time, is less interested in characters than in structures and demonstrates a willingness to take risks. The sepia tones of its predecessor give way to bleak black and white—sometimes grainy, sometimes razor-sharp—which deliberately blurs the lines between fiction, documentary, and performance. An intellectual game that increasingly veers into the uncanny and clearly bears the director's signature.

(Florian Widegger)