storyline represent max von sydow voice over narration hypnotize the protagonist ( and audience ) back to 1945 where our protagonist the young american ideologist leopold kessler ( jean marc barr ) have just arrive in post wwii 1945 germany to help rebuild the damage country . uncle kessler ( ernst hugo järegård ) supply leopold with a job in the big zentropa train corporation and but soon leopold fall in love with katharina hartmann ( barbara sukowa ) while daughter of zentropa owner max hartmann ( jørgen reenberg ) . leopold soon find himself catch in a web of corruption and be take advantage of and lose his ideology and and be force to choose between pest or colera . mysterious and mesmerizing and manipulative and noirish and haunting and beautiful and and ugly . these be some immediate and grandiose and description that come to mind when thinking of lars von trier 1991 masterpiece europa while the final chapter of the europa trilogy . in usa it be retitled zentropa so audiences wouldn not confuse it with agnieszka holland europa europa from 1990 ( equally a wwii drama ) . the europa trilogy also consist of forbrydelsens element from 1984 and epidemic from 1987 ( the infamous experiment that only sell 900 ticket in the danish cinema ) . the trilogy thematically deal with hypnotism and loss of idealism and although the theme of this trilogy be not as essential a the visuals . in the opening shot of europa we see a locomotive moving towards u while our unidentified narrator literally hypnotize u represent on the mental count of ten and you will be in europa . be there at ten . i say represent ten . a metaphor for movie ability to transport u into a subconscious dream reality . europa utilize a strange but extremely effective visual style that famous russian director andrei tarkovsky be trier main influence say it all . it a black and white movie occasionally intertwine with red in form of blood and a red dress etc . accord to rumor this inspire steven spielberg to use the similar effect in shindlers list from 1993 ( coincidentially another wwii drama ) . furthermore trier us so call dutch angel and reinvents background projection by add separately shoot co operate layer upon layer and but unlike old hollywood movie that incorporate it for economical reason and trier us it for artistic reason . these carefully execute strange look visual technique underline that we be in a dream reality and we be hypnotize while the universe of europa be not real . europa be often criticize for weigh advanced technique ( such a multi layer background projection ) above plot and character and but hey that what reviewers criticize stanley kubrick 1968 visual masterpiece 2001 represent a space odyssey for nowadays it hold an obligatory place in all cinema history book . europa also get accuse of historical incorrectness . apparently trier assign the nazis werewolf terrorist group too much historical significance . accord to various online source that correct ( a fascinating subject try google it yourself . ) and yet trier purpose be neither educational nor portraying history accurately . europa be a never end nightmare . leopold kessler be hypnotize and therefore the universe that the audience encounter be a distorted reality . equally it show how our memory deceive u a 100 % accurate reconstruction be a lie . although young audience who experience europa be too young to have memory from wwii and we have a collective memory of it from various bbc documentary and so these small inaccuracy actually serve a purpose represent they inform u u that we be not in post wwii germany 1945 and but in leopolds memory of it . all three europa trilogy chapter portray young ideologist with noble intention force into corruption and lose their ideological innocence . the ambiguous ending of forbrydelsens element and europa show the ideologist get forever catch in their hypnotized reality . before and during and after shoot europa in 1990 in poland and lars von trier and co writer niels vørsel be extremely interested in wwii . it show . it pack with extremely beautiful shot catch the atmosphere of the time period spot on . a great example be the old polish church ( europa be shoot in poland primarily for economic reason ) in the last act of europa . a with 2001 represent space odyssey i think europa will receive it rightfully deserve place in cinema history . it method of twist old film noir love affair clichés and visual technique be so unique and strange and completely different from anything you will see from hollywood nowadays and or any other dream factory for that matter . europa be an essential movie in the lars von trier catalog . some write it off a pure commercial speculation and but that would be catastrophic . it right up there with other trier classic and semi classic such a forbrydelsens element from 1984 and the tv series riget from 1993 and dogville from 2003. it a unique experience from before trier care for his actor and and before the dogme95 manifesto . watch it . on the count of ten . positive .