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| Lars Von Trier Photo: Richard Mowe |
Lars Von Trier, director of Dogville, Antichrist, Melancholia and more, has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, according to a statement from his representatives which was released today. The 66-year-old is currently in good health and plans to complete filming on season three of popular Danish haunted hospital series The Kingdom, but will thereafter keep a 'lower public profile'.
Von Trier has long suffered from sporadic depression and other mental health problems associated with the disease, sometimes addressing these subjects in his films. he also has a reputation for erratic behaviour, and was banned from the Cannes Film Festival in 2011 after saying he felt sympathy for Hitler. At that time, Kirsten Dunst, who starred in Melancholia and would go on to have a supporting role in Nymphomaniac, came to his defence and suggested that he was suffering from confusion.
With proper treatment, Parkinson's disease no longer significantly shortens life expectancy in most cases, but it is still disabling and it is unlikely that Von Trier will be able to continue to work for long, even on an occasional basis.
