Lars Von Trier has always been a controversial figure for the films he makes, but this week he went one better than that by calling himself a Nazi and expressing sympathy for Adolf Hitler. Ill-judged? I’d say so.
Watching him speak is uncomfortable viewing of the highest order, especially if you watch the look on the actors sitting either side of him. Charlotte Gainsbourg and Kirsten Dunst clearly just want off the stage.
The problem is Von trier got himself in a muddle pretty quickly by not expressing his views in the correct way. And then he over-compensated, worried about being accused of backing Israel, and then he finally stopped talking. A little too late, unfortunately.
I think the Cannes Film Festival has acted properly by throwing him out, because there should be a zero tolerance policy on Nazi sympathizing and looking kindly on Hitler and what he did. But I don’t think Von Trier is a bad person, and he certainly isn’t a Nazi.
