i can not stay indifferent to lars van trier film . i consider break the wave nothing less than a masterpiece . i love dancer in the night . i admire the idea in dogville but the overall exercise look to me too dry and too theatrical and less cinema . europa which i see only now be a famous film at it time and succeed in the u the relative success of an european film and get the oscar for the best foreign language movie and but do not survive well the time in my opinion . it be also a too much explicit and extrovert exercise in cinema art to my taste . the story have a level of ambiguity that can not escape the viewer . treat the period that immediately follow the second world war not in the black and white color of victor and vanquished and of executioner and victim but a rather ambiguous time when people of both side be fight for survival in the aftermath of a catastrophic event that change the life of nation and individual forever be still a source of dispute even today and more such be novel and courageous two decade ago . yet it be the mean of expression that really do not appear fit to the task . the film seem to include a lot of quote descend directly from the film of hitchcock and especially his early film set in the pre war europe and with brave british spy fight evil german spy on train cross at high speed the continent at dark . the train be a symbol of the world and it conflict with all their intensity and dramatism . here the train also become the symbol of the first sparkle of the re birth of germany after war and of it might and of it obsession with order and regulation and of punctuality and civility . the character that populate the train be far from be the classical spy story good or bad guy . the principal character a young american of german origin come to post war europe willing to be part of a process of help and reconciliation find himself in an ambiguous world of destruction and corruption and with liberator look more like oppressive occupier and with the vanquished not resign to their fate but rather willing to continue on the path of self destruction and with love doubtfully mixed with treason . it be yet this classical film treatment that betray the director in this case . the action of the character and especially of leopold kessler play by jean marc barr seem confuse and and lack credibility . the overall cinematography seem to be not hitchcock like but rather from a bad imitation of hitchcock in the late 30 . the usage of color over the black and white film use in the majority of the time in moment of emotional intensity be also too demonstrative . it be not that van trier do not master his artistic mean and but he be too demonstrative and he seem to try too hard to show what a great filmmaker he be . he really be great and a he will show in some of his late film and but it will be leave to the viewer to decide this alone .