SPOOKY AND THEN SOME : "THE KINGDOM"

Ok, so, technically The Kingdom is not a film but a series. In fact back in the day Lars von Trier made it as a series for Danish television. Ah yes, him. Von Trier is one of those directors you basically either love or hate. I personally love him. I mean, with his films there is always an ounce of sadomasochism going on; the films make one cringe, get uncomfortable and downright emotional and distressed. Yet they are of such good quality and so gripping that you always end up going back to them. The Kingdom is, I assure you, no different.
The Kingdom is the name of a hospital. On the outside it seems like a very ordinary hospital, with its usual dose of hypochondriac patients, well-meaning directors and surgeons who basically believe they should be ruling the world… However, look closely at The Kingdom and nothing is quite what it seems. The hospital is built on a dark secret no one is aware of and the secret is slowly seeping out of the foundations and through the walls into the hospital itself… Is Miss Drugge the hospital hypochondriac justified in her hunt for ghosts around the hospital? What is the strange and sinister masons lodge formed of the hospital staff actually up to? And what is the mystery of the empty ambulance that arrives at the hospital doors every night and vanishes again? Miss Drugge claims that these are all linked to the world of ghosts and spirits? Is she as mad as everyone claims? Or are there really spirits roaming The Kingdom that need to be put to rest?
Watching but the first five minutes of The Kingdom shows you clearly that this is not a film like many others you have seen. If von Trier wanted to make for an uncomfortable viewing experience – and he did incidentally – he has succeeded with flying colors. Said colors are used in conjunction with heavy sepia and the picture is very grainy. The camera movements are jerky, often obviously hand or shoulder cameras without resorting to a steadycam , heck or even a tripod. The cuts bounce from one to the other in crowded scenes making the viewer quite dizzy at times. Yes, it is fair to say that this was an experiment as far as the technical side of it went. Yet, as von Trier was trying to point out, even this technique serves a purpose. As we watch the series (miniseries to be fair, it is concerned of five episodes each about an hour long) we feel on edge and alienated. Our adrenalin is constantly ready to gush; we are not sure what shot will come from where next. You might be tempted to argue that you don’t know where shots will come from anyway, but see, you do. Conventional films are filmed by a set of very predictable rules, (shot – reaction shot and all that jazz) you do know unconsciously. And when a director openly and insistently defies it; it is confusing, even though you may not be sure what you’re confused about. Add to this, the storyline. Imaginative, unpredictable and very, very spooky, The Kingdom’s storyline is one of the most successful ghost stories I have seen and believe me I have seen my fair share of the little monkeys. Yes, watching this series may not be “enjoyable” in the classic sense. But you will like it. And you will learn. If nothing else it will be an experience you will not forget in a hurry…