Synopsis

Grace arrives at the Manderlay plantation and discovers that slavery continues there despite its abolition. Determined to impose freedom and democracy, she takes control and attempts to reorganize the plantation's social order. Her idealistic experiment gradually exposes the persistence of oppression, paternalism, and deeply rooted power structures, forcing Grace to confront the limits of imposed liberation and her own assumptions about justice.

Factoids & Trivia

• Manderlay is the second film in Lars von Trier's planned USA: Land of Opportunities trilogy, following Dogville. The intended third installment, Washington, was never made.

• Like Dogville, the film was staged on a largely bare soundstage. Chalk markings and sparse props define the plantation's buildings, creating a deliberately theatrical presentation.

• Bryce Dallas Howard took over the role of Grace after Nicole Kidman, who played the character in Dogville, did not return.

• A controversial scene involving the slaughter of a donkey was filmed during production and later removed. John C. Reilly, who had been cast in the film, left the project in protest.

• The film's title echoes Manderley, the country estate in Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca, which was famously adapted by Alfred Hitchcock.

• Manderlay was entered in competition at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

• The film was dedicated to French producer Humbert Balsan, who died during the year of its release.