Revisited for the first time in at least twenty years during a retrospective at my neighborhood's movie theater. I remember my extremely premature encounter with the film, as it traumatized me emotionally while at the same time introducing me to an entirely new style of filmmaking.

The manipulative melodrama might raise some eyebrows, but it serves as a perfect counterpoint to the gritty realism of the cinematography. Instead of settling for a superficial critique of the American dream in a pseudo-neorealist fashion, the film filters everything through the protagonist's love for musicals and Hollywood sentimentalism, which becomes the driving force behind the narrative. Selma's presumed integrity and unconditional love for her son remain underdeveloped, as they only serve as the backbone of the narrative. Much like Björk's music video for "It's Oh So Quiet," which seemingly inspired the film's screenplay, Selma clings to the "music" that emanates from the sounds of everyday life, utilizing them as a gateway to an imaginary world of musicals—an idyllic escape from her disease and hypocrisies that plague her reality. The film's first half fuels the flames of sentimentality with malice, as everything is aimed at delivering a powerful blow once the viewer is brought back to reality.

While I do appreciate Björk's music and found her first and last appearance as an actress surprisingly convincing, the songs she contributed to the score are more miss than hits. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that their dissonant quality proves immensely fitting in the second half of the film, where the contrast between the musical world and the actual events becomes painful. Personally, I would have filmed the musical segments in a more traditional and lavish manner to heighten the contrast further.

The only aspect that truly bothered me was how contrived some pivotal plot twists tend to be. For instance, [spoiler]the scene in which Selma kills the police officer ends up feeling somewhat pathetic, with him imploring her to take his life as the only way to afford the child's operation (???). A single gunshot would have sufficed to ensure Selma's death penalty, or she could have simply lost control. Not to mention the wife who leaves him there agonizing when she could have easily called the police from downstairs. It was also quite stupid that the girls at the factory not only arbitrarily recycled the money from Gene's operation to pay for the lawyer but also didn't bother adding a single cent to the amount. I understand that otherwise, Selma wouldn't have noticed, but come on.[/spoiler]