Dogme 95 and The Celebration (1998)

Dogme 95 is an interesting way of filmmaking. Directors using the technique throw away all the preexisting ways Hollywood has been making films for a more personal and realistic style. With the manifesto, the filmmaker does not use a steady camera, colour grading, visual effects, no ADR or use of external microphones or any tech that can enhance their film in any way. With this technique, the film gains a realistic and personal feel because the scenes don’t feel manufactured and stylized. The shaky cam and lack of colour grading makes the audience feel like they are watching real life. “The Celebration” follows a son revealing that his father sexually abused his children when they were young at the father’s 60th birthday party. The topic of the film is a tough one and a realistic one because sexual abuse is a super real concept. The plot and the topics hit a new level of realism when Dogme 95 is implemented. Once the manifesto is put in place for this film, the audience feels like they are watching a real family deal with their secrets and the trauma they have caused. The guerrilla style of filmmaking gives a realistic sense to the film, as if we were watching a documentary or a family’s home video tapes. Another example of a film that does Dogme 95 well is “The House That Jack Built” directed by Lars Von Trier. The film follows Jack, a serial killer over the span of 12 years as he kills 5 different times. If the film was shot in the normal Hollywood style, it would feel like another “American Psycho”. Because of Dogme 95, the film feels like we are watching real video tapes of a serial killer’s “greatest hits”. The shaky camera movements make feel like you are drifting in and out of the killer’s mind and subconscious. Dogme 95 is not used very often, but when it is used it brings another level of realism to directors’ films. Dogme 95’s lack of steady camera movements, Colour grading, and use of external audio leads to a personal and intimate feel to the films. It’s seems easier to believe that the things you are witnessing on screen are true events and footage when Dogme 95 is implemented.