The story has universality, until music and stills at the end would seem to make the United States the target of the philosophical idea that sometimes it is better to wipe out everybody, the innocent and the corrupt, for the greater good. This has a jarring, gratuitous effect on the artistic merit of the whole, as von Trier tacks on an America-bashing inference that vitiates what until then has been a broad-based look at the human condition no matter where the action is taking place.

Kidman plays Grace, a young woman fleeing mobsters. She seeks refuge in the town and is given jobs that enable the townsfolk to exploit her. She becomes a punching bag for raging resentments and frustrations with the hard life in Dogville, as well as a sexual object to be used at will. She also falls prey to the hypocrisy of a do-gooder suitor.

The repression is piled on to the point of her wanting to escape but the attempt goes awry due to betrayal, and the subsequent events build to a choice that she must make. Will she wreak vengeance for all that she has suffered?

The tone of the film is that of a morality tale, and there is an impressive cast handling other roles, including Harriet Andersson, Stellan Skarsgard, Patricia Clarkson, Lauren Bacall, Jean Marc-Barr, Paul Bettany, Blair Brown, James Caan, Jeremy Davies, Ben Gazzara and Chloë Sevigny.

This is unquestionably the kind of film that is bound to sharply divide audiences. Some will find it a pretentious bore, others will find it an exciting attempt to break the bounds of cinema. Include me in the second category. For one thing, given Kidman's beauty and accomplishment as an actress, three hours doesn't seem like a long time when she is at the center of the drama. Also, the film is so different that it is compelling on that aspect alone.