What’s the Harm in Poking a Little Fun? Plenty, Actually

I wasn’t Bjorn yesterday. That’s why I disagree with Kevin Thomas, who praised Lars von Trier’s film “The Idiots,” about bored young Danes who act “retarded” in public for fun, free meals and guilt-tripped donations (“Getting in Touch With Oneself, Others in ‘Idiots,’ ” June 23).

Thomas claims the intent of the people who engage in this behavior--called “spassing”--is “not to insult those physically or mentally challenged in any manner of degree, but, rather, to disturb middle-class types as much as they possibly can.”

Au contraire. Mocking the disabled is a central element of “The Idiots.” It’s made by Dogma, a film group Von Trier launched to make realistic movies with big ideas and small budgets. The only thing smaller than the budget were Von Trier’s ideas. “The Idiots” isn’t edgy filmmaking, just mean-spirited, pretentious hooey.

Even if I didn’t have a special-needs child, I would still be disgusted. “Spassing” is a Danish term for people who act “retarded” but aren’t. If you’ve ever seen disabled people struggling to navigate through an uncertain world, you couldn’t possibly find this remotely amusing or entertaining.

However, making fun of people with disabilities is one of our popular culture’s last guilty pleasures. Current practitioners include Howard Stern (whose TV series has an ongoing feature with mentally disabled people on a game show) and Chris Rock (who belittled disabled special-ed kids in a recent HBO special).

In “The Idiots,” middle-class kids--late teens or early 20s--live communally and rent-free in a mansion that one of their uncles has up for sale outside Copenhagen. They feel that posing as “retarded” is a rebellious way to assault the meaninglessness of normal life.

Von Trier, who also directed “Breaking the Waves,” allegedly wrote the script in four days, which isn’t exactly a time frame that’s insight-friendly. This could explain spectacularly shallow lines like, “Idiots are the people of the future.”

Our heroes (and I use that term loosely) show up at a factory for a tour and make workers feel like morons as they explain their mundane jobs to a bunch of “idiots.” They further shock the 9-to-5’ers by having one of the “retards” drive their van as they leave, knocking into things on the way out. It’s Godard meets Jerry Lewis.

When we do see some of the commune members timidly expressing reluctance about their “spassing,” they are immediately put in their places by Stoffer, the arrogant leader of the commune.

During an orgy, Von Trier includes actual sex scenes, but there are floating black squares over the naughty bits. A New York Times critic found this censorship more offensive than the fact that the disabled were being used as punch lines. I beg to disagree; the X-rated sex was the least pornographic element in “The Idiots.”

Apart from the overall premise, the most obscene moment occurs during a lunch at the commune with a group of real Down syndrome adults. Stoffer is offended that one of his pals wants a picture taken with their disabled guests. Stoffer’s sarcastic and indignant response is, “Hey, let’s measure their skulls and gas them.” Mr. Thomas, that comment goose-steps way beyond “insulting.” If this remark were directed at Jews, Rabbi Marvin Hier would be talking to the media as soon as possible at the Museum of Tolerance--and rightfully so. Similar press conferences would be called if the target of this remark were Latinos, African Americans, Asians, gays or lesbians.

Von Trier’s film is nothing more than a venomous Dogma and pony show.