"Manderlay" is a controversial minimalist satire about the long-term effects of slavery and racism. It is the second part of a series, directed by von Trier that deconstructs America. The first was "Dogville," and the third will be titled "Washington." It uses a spare set and like "Dogville" much of the action takes place in a nearly empty lot.

"Manderlay" was one of the finer and more thoughtful entries in the 2005 Chicago Film Festival, which took place in October, but the film isn’t scheduled to open until February 2006.

Inspired by the preface to the French novel, "Happiness in Slavery," it is the story of a group of former slaves in Barbados. They were unprepared for free life so they asked their former masters to enslave them again. The novel’s title inspired a great Nine-Inch Nails song with the same name, which celebrates sado-masochism.

But "Manderlay" does not justify slavery. It can be seen as either a scathing attack on naïve liberal utopianism or a critique of the US force feeding democracy to other countries that aren’t ready for it (such as Iraq or Russia).

Director Lars von Trier is the infant terrible of the foreign film market. Critics have attacked him for taking shots at the USA, a place he has never visited. But von Trier argues that in today’s globalized economy every country is America, and everyone is an American.

The film features a restrained but ultimately effective performance by Bryce Dallas Howard as Rose. The role had been played by the much older Nicole Kidman in "Dogville." In that movie, Rose, a gangster’s daughter took revenge on the small town that exploited her.

In this sequel she tries to free others that have been exploited. She stops off in Alabama with her dad and his gangster friends. She is shocked to find a group of African Americans that are still living essentially like slaves, 70 years after the end of the Civil War.

Rose feels pity for them and takes drastic action. She inverts the social hierarchy, and makes the slaves land owners. Then she consigns former white owners to hard labor on the land. Rose is able to enforce the regime change because she has back up from some her dad’s former mafia employees. But he disapproves of her social engineering and leaves.

Of course the overnight utopia doesn’t occur because the slaves aren’t used to living a free lifestyle, and the scars of slavery are deep. The former slaves do not fix up their homes, and they never get around to plant the cotton on which they make their livelihood. To remedy the situation, Rose (like big government) gives seminars on democracy.

There is a huge sandstorm, which wipes out the crops and the food has to be rationed.

Things start to get more complicated when Rose becomes infatuated with the handsome but untrustworthy Timothy. He questions Rose’s motives and is the only one to challenge her naïve ideas. She is extremely attracted to him, and even starts masturbating while she fantasizes about him.

Rose is a parody of patronizing and naïve liberals, for she truly thinks that she can undo hundred of years of exploitation overnight

The film ends with still shots of real white against black oppression. As the pictures flash, we hear the song "Young Americans," which ironically comments on the pictures. The song is David Bowie’s blatant attempt to copy the black Philly soul sound, and it is seen by some as an example of musical cultural imperialism.

"Manderlay" contains no individual scenes as devastating as the climax of von Trier’s "Dancer in the Dark." There are also no performances in it as strong as the lead in his "Breaking the Waves." But the movie has a powerful cumulative effect and the whole is better than its parts. It’s sure to provoke plenty of charged discussions on social issues.