The Mysterious Case of Lars von Trier.

As one of my major interests is film, and as the major subject of this blog is mental health, I thought I would try to bring the two together with a little biographical story about the Danish film director and screen writer Lars von Trier.
Von Trier started out as a prodigious talent, directing his first film at the age of eleven after receiving a Super-8 camera as a gift, and continued to be involved in independent movie making throughout his high school years. But, perhaps, cinema was an emotional outlet for the young auteur, being raised in a way which has been described as having "complex results for his personality and development". Indeed, while his mother considered herself a communist, his father was a social democrat, and both were committed nudists who regarded the disciplining of children reactionary. They are said to have not allowed much room in their household for "feelings, religion, or enjoyment" and refused to set any clear boundaries for their children. And, Lars did not realise, until 1989, after a death-bed confession from his mother, that, in fact, his real biological father was Ulf Trier, and that he had been conceived as the result of an affair.
Such complexity, though, seemed only to serve von Trier's latent talent, and he went on to win great acclaim, receiving the Palm D'or, the Grand Prix, and the Prix du Jury at the Cannes film festival for various films. The filmic movement with which he is most associated is Dogme 95, which he co-founded with fellow director Thomas Vinterberg. The movement provided a sort of manifesto, which eschewed big budget Hollywood production values in favour of hand held cameras, grainy photography and naturalistic lighting.
I have long been an admirer of von Trier's films. I thought that "The Idiots", despite its very explicit sexual content, was a great film, and I also admired "Dancer in the Dark", starring the Icelandic singer Bjork, which brought von Trier the Palm D'or at Cannes.
However, some, it seemed, had already noticed a "disturbing" streak in von Trier's films, notably in their treatment of women. The critic Mark Kermode, for example, found von Trier's 1996 film, "Breaking the Waves", which won the Grand Prix at Cannes, to be, if I remember correctly, "really pernicious, misogynistic stuff". He even appeared to compare it unfavourably with the infamous, and once banned, film, "I Spit on Your Grave".
Von Trier, however, is no stranger to controversy and is, perhaps, well known for the sexually explicit nature of some of his films. In 1998, he made history by having his company, Zentropa, be the first mainstream film company to produce hardcore pornographic films. The films were made, though, specifically with a female audience in mind. They were extremely popular in Europe, and even led "Cosmopolitan" magazine to suggest that one of the films, "Pink Prison", was the "role model for the new porn generation".
So, it seemed that, far from being a misogynist, von Trier was actually attuned somewhat to the female psyche, making films of an explicit nature which actually appealed to a female, and not just a male, audience.
But, then came the stories that von Trier suffered from depression. Then came the film that appeared to put an end to any suggestion that he was some kind of liberator. The film was called "Antichrist", and von Trier said that it grew out of his experience of depression. Again, the film was explicit in its content, and one of its stars, Charlotte Gainsbourg, received the best actress award at Cannes. I have seen the film myself, and indeed, I think I am with Kermode on this one; that the film displays a somewhat unnerving misogyny. Indeed, one member of the Ecumenical Jury at Cannes described it as "the most misogynistic movie from the self-proclaimed biggest director in the world". So, one wonders, why the sudden change from apparent emancipator to misogynist? Had depression clouded von Trier's vision?
With his next film, entitled "Melancholia", and described as a psychological disaster drama, the answer seemed clear. And von Trier is now said to be working on a new film, entitled, "The Nymphomaniac", about the sexual awakening of a woman (can't wait for that one!). Furthermore, on 19th May 2011, the once darling of Cannes was declared persona non grata by the board of directors for comments he made during a press conference for his film, "Melancholia", the day before. Apparently, von Trier claimed to have some sympathy and understanding for Adolf Hitler and then, jokingly, and I must emphasise, jokingly, claimed to be a Nazi himself, comments for which he later apologised and tried to give an explanation. This debacle led him to announce that he would no longer issue any public statements or interviews.
What to make of all this? Is it the case that von Trier is a social iconoclast- a great man on the verge of greatness? Or is it that mental illness has driven him to areas which, previously, he would not have thought fit to walk in? Is it perhaps the age old question of difference and talent and how we, as a society, view it? Is this man a visionary, or is he, simply, not well? All I know is that the mysterious case of Lars von Trier, and the controversy surrounding it, raises as many questions about our own social milieu as it does about him.