Von Trier continues his American trilogy with 'Manderlay'

Lars Von Trier continues his emotionally charged, often unsettling American trilogy with Manderlay, which opens Saturday at the Belcourt.

Once again Von Trier has condensed the setting, limited the action to a single sound stage, and presented audiences with a stark, powerful and unflattering view of what he considers the nation's political and social ills.

Interestingly, Von Trier has never set foot in this country, something that his detractors never tire of mentioning since his films aren't exactly flattering. This one extends the ugly story that began with Dogville, transporting viewers to Alabama in 1933.

Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard) accompanies her gangster father (Willem Dafoe) and his cronies to a rural town where slavery hasn't been abolished. Mam (Lauren Bacall) looks like a relic and operates the same way, barking out orders and treating those who work there as disposable fodder incapable of thought or feeling.

Mam's foreman Wilhelm (Danny Glover) does her dirty work without hesitation. Wilhelm is a slave who doesn't deem any of his people ready or able to handle freedom. Glover's role truly epitomizes acting at its best, because this character is a polar opposite not only of his own personality, but also his political views.

Wilhelm initially seems the most contemptible person in the film, but as things evolve, he displays a savvy, wiser side. Still, there are a number of slaves, among them Timothy (Isaach De Bankol