Trier’s Element of Crime was better than I thought it would be, as there were times before when I saw the struggling donkey at the beginning and didn’t want to go any further. I didn’t even know that Dancer in the Dark was also his work. In this way, I was reminded of what Osborne has stated many times: systematicity. It is true that our lives, and the basis of what we do, may have systematic allusions, however, is there a psychological systematicity, or a desire to commit crimes, to follow? Like the map of murder Osborne drew three years ago?
It is a real hypnosis, where the memories are receding, and when he retells them, this repetition is moving forward, so slowly and nightmarishly.
Arriving at night, the lake and the town tremble in an orange light, and Osborne’s glass globe lamp seems to be the kernel of that light. This place of corruption, where countless fallen leaves are fluttering and the wind is whistling, while children sing horrible short rhymes like they are telling how the girl who sold the lottery tickets was killed.
When Fraser leaves Cairo to investigate a murder in Europe, the only old boss he sees, Osborne, is a criminologist who writes books on crime cases and psychoanalyzes them, claiming he can guide the police to the unknown activities of criminals, and he is Fraser’s spiritual mentor. But when Fraser starts looking for Harry Gray, Osborne produces a photo pointing out that Harry has died on the way to escape, and the car’s flames diminish with the narration on the photo. Fraser believes he is intimidated and full of suspicion and decides to track down the investigation himself.
What Fraser reenacts is Harry’s trip to the countryside. He floats on the water, carrying an amulet that is either Harry or himself, and follows the reported route to the hotel Harry came to, which resembles a ruin without the person in it knowing it, and he goes on the road with the prostitute and assumes she is Harry’s lover, or at all. Here, Fraser and Harry overlap from time to time, interchanging narratives, and Fraser begins to have to tighten his head with a string because of a severe headache. Is the search for the “mood of the crime” also a temptation in the hypothesis? He suffers from Harry’s headache until he realizes that he is in a conspiracy.
Fizza enters his own labyrinth, following the clues but being bound in them, seemingly shifting identities in different experiences. As Fraser prepares to end the story, he is informed that a girl selling lottery tickets needs help. They arrive together at the expected location and walk through the empty room filled with bottles, the girl is agitated, while Fraser’s talisman slips off and he is suddenly touched by the possible criminal mind, the girl tries to escape by grabbing the window only to be suffocated by his hand.
It is no longer worth revealing who the murderer is, Osborne, like a prophet, points out that the murder is only formal, a kind of mental manipulation, and he thus finds the perfect form for his “systematicity of the last detail”.
Reality is not worth simulating, but the surreal performance excites the director and us. Is hypnosis a deep memory or a re-investigation on some level? The countless light cannons, fallen leaves, gravel, donkeys, glass bottles and scalpels are more like the complex thoughts in Faisal’s head, derived from his actions, and I never understood what he meant when he repeatedly said “I believe in happiness”. The autumn rain at the end made me feel infinitely sluggish. Lars’ debut film can be surprising to such an extent, which I did not expect beforehand, regardless of who it steals from or pays tribute to, it shows itself to be thick and thin enough to make people surprised to find that the process of a director’s gradual maturation does not seem to apply to him. The depth of thought in the film is, without exaggeration, fully comparable to that of “Antichrist”. The reason for this comparison is that the symbolism he uses in it is similar: if “Antichrist” is an upside-down Bible, “Element of Crime” is an upside-down “Godspell”. The viewer will never forget the dull yellow or scarlet hues, the overflowing water and the seemingly never-ending rain of blood, the pervasive murmuring and chanting that eats away at the soul, and the countless black caves of intimidation and the bizarre behavior of the people strewn across them. All of these are reminiscent of the hell that Dante witnessed, the place of despair where the dead are piled up, baptized and eternally burned by the fires of heaven. And the hero’s journey back to Europa after 13 years (ah, 13!) is like a trial to return to hell in hypnosis. In contrast, if “The Divine Comedy” is the story of Dante’s gradual ascension under the guidance of his spiritual teacher Virgil and the goddess Beatrice, then this film is the story of Fischer’s gradual degradation under the temptation of his spiritual teacher Osborne and the goddess lyre, while “Elements of Crime” is precisely the “Book of Aeneas” revered by Fischer. In addition to the previously mentioned water, rainstorm, blood red, fire, cave and tunnel, there is also the entrance of hell like a well leading to the archives symbolizing sin, while the white dove symbolizing the saved soul is breaking free; there is also the shepherd on the road, whistling the song of God Pan to attract the spirits; there is also as if crossing the river Styx There is also the boat as if crossing the river of the underworld and the eyes of the angelic children nearby; there is also the bungee jump, which is a symbol of ritual and sin, and the people who have fallen from nobility to sinking like prisoners, as well as the police and their dogs who punish and flog them. Not to mention the prostitute symbolizing the adulterer, the sign of the cross, the drowned donkey and horse, and the meaningful play on words, the most impressive being Fischer’s deduction of the seventh murder and the writing of the letter “H”, which necessarily implies The most impressive part is when Fischer deduces the seventh murder and writes the letter “H”, which inevitably implies “HARRY”, but it can also imply “HELL”, and afterwards the duo utters a very memorable dialogue: “It’s not your work”:Why can’t you leave him to Kramer? Kramer and his men will get him in Halle.
That’s the difference between Kramer and me. I cannot stop until I understand. I owe it to Osborne (Virgil).You leave me (Beatriz) behind, Harry.Of course, all of this is blended into a complete and well thought out detective story and a subtle and fluid editing, so it is all the more telling of the intellectual and technical heights this film has reached. The elements of the film are integrated and together form the organism of the film, which is a masterpiece of Lars’ career.
