FILM · 1998 · DENMARK
Idioterne
10 archived facts 2 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
10 Interesting Facts About Idioterne
Interesting Facts (9)
- #001
The second film in Lars von Trier's "Golden Heart" trilogy, in which the heroes remain pure despite their actions. The other two parts are Breaking the Waves (1996) and Dancer in the Dark (2000).
- #002
It was written in four days as part of the Dogma 95 Manifesto.
- #003
Asked about the sex party scene, Anne Louise Hassing said: "The nude scenes aren't much fun. Lars made it easier because one day he came in, stripped down to his socks and said we were going to be naked today, and that if you don't do it now, you'll always be thinking about that scene and you won't be able to relax. But things were still tense because it was so strange. On the first day we only shot the actors together, without the real thing, that is, without the real scene. The next day the porn stand-ins came and it was very uncomfortable. We had to be in frame while the stand-ins did their work. Lars did this scene to stay faithful to this disturbing thing. If we hadn't shown it, it was also right for Dogme, because the scene showed what was real without any artificial light to make it look nice."
- #004
The group's members call the act of searching for their "inner idiot" "spassing," a neologism derived from "spasser," the Danish equivalent of "spaz." "Spassing" is the group's self-defeating attempt to challenge the order through provocation. Those who call themselves idiots believe that society in general behaves toward its own intelligence in an uncreative and unchallenging way; therefore, they pursue the boundless self-expression they imagine a romantic ideal of disability would allow.
- #005
It was banned from Blockbuster stores in the United Kingdom because of a very short hardcore sex scene.
- #006
During the shoot, takes often lasted 50 minutes, meaning that four or five scenes were shot together in very long sequences.
- #007
It is part of the Danish Culture Canon.
- #008
It is one of Tom Six's favorite films; Six is the creator of The Human Centipede trilogy.
- #009
In "Der Antichrist," Nietzsche applies the word "idiot" to Jesus.
Behind the Scenes (1)
- #010
The scene depicting a potential buyer's visit to the location was shot in 13 takes and was mostly improvised.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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