LOL: What If Lars Von Trier Directed Tourism Ads?

Gotta love the Onion. The paper/website is justly revered for comic 'news' articles that satirize every aspect of popular culture. But the video feed from the Onion News Network has become just as sharp as the print output.

Take this piece, which purports to be a report on a series of ads directed by Lars Von Trier for the purpose of advertising the tourist attractions of Denmark. It is on fucking point. If you're a fan of Von Trier this should be an immediate watch; if you hate the director's output that goes double. And if you're offended by jokes that imply sado-masochistic 'romance' and incest? Might want to skip it.

I love these ads not because they don't pull any punches but because the parody of Von Trier's style is pretty damn good. I think I'm also happy that we live in a world where someone like Lars Von Trier is well-known enough to be the object of a parody like this. The enfant terrible who directed The Element of Crime is all grown up!

I also love the idea of Denmark actually embracing some of the director's eccentricity to represent the country. I'd almost want to visit a place that sold its forests and nightclubs in this manner. Almost. I'd be more than a little bit scared, but that's part of the thrill.

Last note before watching: if you haven't seen Dancer in the Dark and are at all concerned about being shown the end of that movie, give this one a pass.

(Full disclosure: In addition to my work at /Film I also contribute to the Onion AV Club's video games section, but would endorse the Onion's comedy output regardless of my freelance status there.)