Lars von Trier usually likes to make people suffer. You know the drill—depressing nymphs, end-of-the-world melancholia, or Björk getting put through the emotional ringer. But then there is The Boss of It All film (or Direktøren for det hele if you want to be fancy and Danish). It’s a 2006 office comedy. Yeah, you read that right. The guy who gave us Antichrist decided to make a movie about corporate bureaucracy and IT consultants.
Honestly, it’s hilarious. But in a "cringe-until-your-teeth-hurt" kind of way.
The plot is basically every office worker’s nightmare. Ravn, played by Peter Gantzler, is the owner of an IT company. He’s spent years pretending he’s just one of the guys, telling his employees that the real owner is some mysterious dude living in America. This lets Ravn be the "good cop" while blaming every unpopular decision on the phantom boss. But when he needs to sell the company to a grumpy Icelandic businessman, he has to hire an out-of-work actor named Kristoffer to pretend to be the big cheese.
Chaos ensues. Naturally.
Automavision: The weird tech behind the camera
Let’s talk about why the movie looks so strange. You’ll notice the framing is off. Heads are cut off. The focus jumps around. It isn't a mistake. Von Trier used something called Automavision.
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Basically, he set up the camera and then let a computer program choose the pan, tilt, and zoom randomly. Why? Because he wanted to remove the human touch. He wanted to strip away the "artistic" intention of the cinematographer. It’s annoying at first. You’ll find yourself wanting to adjust your screen. But after twenty minutes, it starts to mirror the cold, disconnected feeling of a corporate office. It makes the characters feel like bugs in a jar.
It’s a bold move. Most directors want every shot to be perfect. Von Trier just let a mathematical formula decide if we could see the actor’s eyes or just their shoulder.
Why the "Boss of It All" film hits different today
In the era of "quiet quitting" and remote work, the themes in The Boss of It All film feel almost prophetic. Ravn is the ultimate "toxic nice guy" boss. He wants everyone to love him, so he refuses to take responsibility for anything.
We’ve all seen this. The manager who says, "Hey, I'd love to give you a raise, but the board won't let me," when they are the board.
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The actor, Kristoffer, is played by Jens Albinus with a frantic, desperate energy. He takes the "role" of the boss way too seriously. He starts improvising lines from obscure plays, confusing the hell out of the IT staff. It highlights a painful truth: leadership is often just a performance. If you wear the right suit and talk with enough confidence, people will believe you're in charge, even if you don't know the first thing about the company’s software.
The Icelandic Connection
The deal depends on Finnur, an Icelandic businessman who absolutely hates Danes. This isn't just a random plot point. There is deep-seated historical tension between Denmark and Iceland (Iceland was under Danish rule for centuries). The movie leans into this. Finnur, played by the real-life director Fridrik Thór Fridriksson, spends half the movie screaming at Ravn. It adds a layer of absurd geopolitical comedy to a movie that is mostly set in a bland, gray office building.
Breaking the fourth wall
Von Trier himself pops up. He appears in the reflection of the office windows or speaks via voiceover. He tells the audience right at the start: "This is a comedy. It’s harmless."
Is it, though?
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With Lars, nothing is ever truly harmless. While the movie has slapstick moments and witty dialogue, it’s ultimately a cynical look at how we treat each other in professional spaces. By the time the credits roll, you realize that everyone—the "nice" boss, the "clueless" actor, and the "disgruntled" employees—is complicit in a giant web of lies.
Real-world takeaways from a fictional office
If you're watching this as a film student, look for the Dogme 95 influences, even though von Trier had officially moved past that movement by 2006. If you're watching it because you're bored on a Friday night, look for the way it skewers office culture.
- The Myth of the Flat Hierarchy: The film proves that someone is always in charge, even if they pretend they aren't.
- Performative Management: If you act like a leader, people will treat you like one, regardless of your actual skills.
- Communication Breakdown: Most of the problems in the film could be solved with one honest conversation. But honesty is bad for business.
How to watch it properly
Don't go into this expecting The Office or Office Space. It isn't that kind of comedy. It’s dry. It’s Danish. It’s awkward.
If you want to track down The Boss of It All film, look for the IFC Films distribution or check Criterion Channel, as they often cycle through von Trier’s catalog. It’s worth the 99 minutes just to see a master of "miserable cinema" prove that he actually has a sense of humor.
To get the most out of the experience, pay attention to the dialogue. The way the characters talk past each other is a masterclass in screenwriting. They don't listen; they just wait for their turn to speak. It’s a brutal, funny, and deeply weird look at the world of work that still feels 100% relevant twenty years later.
Next Steps for Film Fans:
Seek out the 2006 original version with subtitles rather than any dubbed versions to catch the specific linguistic nuances between the Danish and Icelandic characters. After watching, compare the "Automavision" shots to von Trier’s later work in Melancholia to see how he transitioned from chaotic randomness back to highly controlled, painterly aesthetics. If you’re a student of corporate culture, use the film as a case study for "The Peter Principle" and the psychological impact of absent leadership.