A Film Rumination: Europa (released as Zentropa in the US), Lars von Trier, (1991)

The film (1991), directed by Lars von Trier (and released as Zentropa in North America), is the final installment of his "Europe Trilogy," following The Element of Crime (1984) and Epidemic (1987). Set in 1945 post-WWII Germany, it follows Leopold Kessler, a naive American pacifist of German descent who arrives in the occupied territory to "show some kindness" and work as a conductor for the Zentropa railway line. Themes and Narrative Structure

The film explores themes of , manipulation , and the failure of idealism .