Quentin Tarantino Calls This Film Pulitzer Prize Worthy

Quentin Tarantino shared praise for a movie he believes stands far above most modern films. While looking back at his favorite releases from the 1990s and 2000s, the director pointed to Lars von Trier’s Dogville as one of the strongest works of storytelling he has ever seen.

Tarantino made the comments during a retrospective discussion about films released between 1992 and 2009. According to him, Dogville stood out not just because of its performances, but because of how boldly it was made. The movie was filmed on a nearly empty soundstage, with buildings and streets marked only by chalk lines on the floor. Tarantino said this stripped-down style pushed the story to another level.

He was especially impressed by the writing. Tarantino described the script as something truly rare, saying it was maybe one of the greatest scripts ever written for film. In his view, the strength of the story went beyond cinema. He even suggested the movie could have earned a major literary honor if it had taken a different form. Had he done it on the stage, he would have won a Pulitzer Prize, Tarantino said.

Dogville was released in 2003 and stars Nicole Kidman as Grace, a woman who arrives in a small American town during the Great Depression looking for safety. At first, the townspeople seem kind and welcoming. Over time, their behavior grows darker, and Grace becomes trapped in a cycle of control and abuse. The film is known for its harsh look at power, morality, and human cruelty.

Some viewers and critics saw the movie as an attack on American values. Lars von Trier has pushed back on that idea. In an interview with Filmmaker Magazine, he explained that his goal was not to condemn the country itself. Of course, I am not anti-American in that sense. How could you be anti a country, he said.

He added that his frustration was more about specific political choices and broader human behavior. He even joked that he likely shared views with more Americans than people in Denmark simply because the U.S. population is so much larger.

Nicole Kidman’s performance in Dogville is often described as one of the strongest of her career. As of early 2026, she remains extremely busy. She is preparing for the release of Practical Magic 2, scheduled to hit theaters in September 2026. She is also starring in the mystery series Scarpetta alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and is expected to return for season three of Big Little Lies on HBO.

More than twenty years after its release, Dogville continues to spark debate. For Tarantino, though, there is no question. He sees it as a rare piece of work where the writing and ideas were powerful enough to stand beside the greatest stories ever told.

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