Tuesday, May 12, 1998
Medical practitioners examine life, patients in wild Kingdom
Hospital
FILM: Director brilliantly delivers smart, intriguing
five-hour, subtitled flick
By Stephanie Sheh
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
A ward full of spirits. A hypochondriatic surgeon. A baby
growing several feet per hour. Welcome to the always dramatic and
intriguing Kingdom Hospital. This is no "ER."
The five-hour, subtitled sequel to "The Kingdom" by Lars von
Trier ("Breaking the Waves"), which is playing for one week only at
the Nuart, is different and original enough to keep the audience
reading for five hours. "The Kingdom II" continues the stories of
its eccentric residents in a place ruled by much more than
science.
First there is voodoo-fascinated consultant neurosurgeon and
Swedish exile Stig Helmer (Ernst-Hugo Jaeregard) who is busy trying
to destroy the evidence of his unsuccessful and controversial brain
operation on little Mona.
Helmer’s colleague, head of surgery Professor Moesgaard (Holger
Juul Hansen), burdened by administrative matters, has decided to
seek psychiatric help. But the drum-beating Ole (Erik Wedersoe) is
hardly your typical headshrinker. With frightened patients running
out of his office, Ole is soon giving Moesgaard unorthodox advice,
including embracing the world of erotica.
Add to that the intern love-triangle Christian (Ole Boisen),
Mogge (Peter Mygind) and Sanne (Louise Fribo) who place bets on
ambulance drag racing each night. And don’t forget the elderly Mrs.
Drusse (Kristen Rolffes) who, talking to the spirits, is trying to
save the hospital from some undefined evil.
Although this unique cast of characters provides an exciting
viewing, what is far more intriguing is the spiritual undertones
that fuel the plot and tie the complicated stories together. By
creating a supernatural world of inexplicable events amid a setting
that is supposed to be the fortress of hard science, von Trier
plays with the arrogance and dangers that come from the neglect of
the spiritual.
Much of this involves the two omniscient dishwashers (Vita
Jensen and Morten Rotne Leffers) dwelling in the kitchen of the
Kingdom. They poetically laugh and worry about the evil actions of
the hospital’s citizens.
Von Trier appropriately manipulates the film to show the balance
of good and evil in this strange world. He uses a green tinted
warped image to show meaningful images through evil’s eyes. The
rest of the film is shot with a yellowed tint that conveys the
sterile eeriness of the hospital. Von Trier’s style, with the
camera moving rather suddenly and jerkingly, giving the film a more
documentary feel without giving the audience a headache, is
extremely effective.
As the story progresses, some problems are solved and others
arise. But just as the events climax, the movie ends, leaving
questions unanswered and forcing the audience to wait until the
release of "Kingdom III."
FILM: "The Kingdom II" plays nightly at the Nuart at 7 p.m.
Audiences who prefer to watch the film in two parts may pick out a
voucher during intermission. The film only runs through
Thursday.