Dogville (2003)

Set during the Great Depression, or a similar time period, the mysterious Nicole Kidman, on the run from gangsters, arrives in Dogville, a dilapidated former mining town in the Rocky Mountains. The pious townspeople offer her refuge in exchange for an hour of daily servitude for each of its residents. Reminiscent of a production of Our Town, it is staged on a barren set with meager furnishings and chalk outlines representing buildings, belying a folksy charm and innocence that is nowhere to be found in this film. With an almost three hour run time, it is the rare film that feels much shorter than it actually is, holding my attention throughout. The film progresses in ways that are predictable but indescribable, an obvious parable on the worst humanity has to offer.