Lars von Trier is one of the most controversial figures of contemporary European cinema. This volume analyzes the themes and motifs of the director's work and the changes he has brought to modern film. Ever since he founded the back-to-basics Dogme philosophy of filmmaking in 1995, von Trier's name has been tied to taboo-breaking cinema. He consistently courts media controversy through films such as The Idiots (1998), with its unsimulated sex and nonconformist politics. This volume presents von Trier as one of the most daring cinematic exponents of postmodern politics and satire.