«My therapy is horror» – Corriere.it

It all began with the cry of a little girl coming from the bottom of a hospital elevator. According to an elderly patient, Signora Drusse, a medium by profession. It was 1994, “The Kingdom” by Lars von Trier fell like a meteorite on the Venice Film Festival, nearly five hours of medical horror overdosed in black humor: unburied ghosts, fetuses in jars, liver cancers grown as trophies, dishwashers with Down syndrome commenting everything with the epic detachment of a Greek chorus. Hosanna, rants, scandal, for a series destined to become a cult. And the second part arrived in Venice in 1997 and, last September, the third and final one, «The Kingdom – Exodus».

The exit from a hospital which, since she learned she had Parkinson’s, has taken on a very different meaning for her…

“The truth is that, healthy or sick, I’ve always been afraid of hospitals”, confesses the Danish director, author of films such as “Dancer in the Dark”“Dogville”“Melancholia”. Kicked out of Cannes in 2011 for some anti-Semitic statements, having overcome drug and alcohol addiction, Lars found himself ill. But he continued to work. And in recent days he received the Marco Melani award, director and critic who died in ’96, celebrated at the behest of the municipality of San Giovanni Valdarno and Enrico Ghezzi.

“Choosing a hospital as the backdrop for a long and scary story was undoubtedly a strange choice – he continues -. But my theory is that anxiety and creativity come from the same place. It’s about using that energy in a positive way.”

When «The Kingdom» started, he had films like «The Element of Crime» and «Europe» behind him. How did you come up with such a different series?

«Actually, it was born to make some money and save Zentropa, my production company. We took it lightly, we wrote it in a hurry. Nobody thought of such a success».

What about the ghost hospital idea?

«It was the inspiration that gave me “Belphegor”, the first major European series I saw as a child, set in the Louvre. What struck me was the fact that the great world of the museum contained many other small stories. The choice of a hospital was in parallel. The first few episodes were horror, but due to a rather colorful cast, some humor crept in. A fun cocktail came out that prompted me to expand the series. These last few episodes rely almost exclusively on humor, which is more anarchic than horror. And more salvific for my mood.

So this series was a kind of therapy?

“All my life I have suffered from depression and I knew that the cure was work. To realize “Exodus” it took 4-5 years. It’s not a work of which I’m particularly proud, but the collaboration with the actors worked very well».

The eternal conflict between Danes and Swedes remains. Today a metaphor for other clashes?

«I have never made films with moral intentions but only following my desire. Like everyone, I am struck and saddened by what we are transmitting to young people: I have two grandchildren, I hate to see them suffer because of the naivety of my generation”.

Are you thinking about war?

«It is disturbing how the current mechanism is similar to that of all the others. The devil created nationalism, which continues to grow in us even if we consider ourselves pacifists. Nationalism and religion invented as a defense of civilization have blurred the lines between good and evil. My generation lived through the golden age of democracy without realizing it, without doing anything to stop a negative return to the past».

“With the planet intact.”

«I am creating a database containing what I believe I have experienced during my work. The idea is that anyone involved in cinema or who wants to do so can consult it. I was very lucky, I was able to make what I wanted when I wanted. I feel the duty to pass on what I have experienced».

Is cinema always at the center of your life?

“It’s the only thing I know how to do, so I have to keep doing it. Cost the anxiety that costs. At this point in life I am morbidly alone. I’ve always believed that loneliness was a strength, but I have to realize how painful it can be.”