Lars is no woman-hater. There is a fine line between misogyny and focusing on the struggles of women in the world. Many female main characters of Trier's (Bjork in Dancer, Watson in Breaking the Waves, Kidman in Dogville) deal with environmental factors greatly affecting these womens actions and behaviors. If anything, his movies illustrate just how persevering women are in modernity. No matter how much they struggle, these characters' mantras are insistent upon restoring their crumbling worlds. Women represent hope and change and feeling in his movies, showing just how unequal women are treated throughout the modern world. His movies are not for everyone, nevertheless, they are always beautiful.

Last week in Denmark, while speaking to a few Danes and other Europeans (a French, Greek, Romanian and Swedish mix), the "Antichrist" subject came up. The subject of genital mutilation will likely make it less appealing, I thought, but those who *had* seen it, thought it was "intense" but very good. The idea that von Trier is a woman-hater never came up. Labels, such as this one, should not be dispensed so ligthly. Mr von Trier is clearly an artist. Art, by definition, is good when it provokes an emotional response. Can (t)his art cause a disturbing emotional response? The answer leans towards the positive, but that does not make him a woman hater.