What is certain from all three films is that technology essentially shapes the way in which modern stories are told.

Abstraction and Cinematic Modernism

Cinematic modernism, as defined by a certain purposeful ambiguity and a rather high level of abstraction, has become a prominent feature of many films made in the past several decades. Rather than making meaning less apparent in films through the lack of concrete and certain interpretations of different cinematic elements, plots, etc., this cinematic modernism actually serves to enhance meaning in these films by increasing the personal responsibility of each viewer in the interpretation of the film. Meaning is guided rather than dictated, and becomes more individually profound because of this feature.

In Lars von Trier's the Kingdom, the method of storytelling is often disjointed and surreal, calling into question exactly which events that are portrayed are real, and which are more heavily colored or even...
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