Europa trilogy: The Element of Crime
Line up: Lars von Trier | 1984 | Denmark | 104’ | English

The now rarely screened Europa trilogy was a major breakthrough for cult Danish director Lars von Trier. It moves between expressionism, surrealism, and avant-garde formalism; the trilogy constructs a dreamlike, often nightmarish vision of a continent haunted by its own history. Those films portray the European continent as an entity that lacks coherent cultural identity and is built on unresolved generational traumas as well as obsolete ideologies.

The Element of Crime, the first part of this triptych of moving images, could be described as an experimental neo-noir crime film. It follows the story of a detective who decides to take on his final case in order to attempt to catch a serial killer. He leans towards an unconventional method of hypnosis to help him solve the dilemma. Oneirical narration and long takes make this film a one-of-a-kind flick.

This screening is a part of our programme dedicated to Lars von Trier’s Europa trilogy. Please see the full programme below:

07/11 | The Element of Crime (1984)
11/11 | Epidemic (1987)
18/11 | Europa (1991)


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