--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A film should be like a rock in the shoe." description: "\"A film should be like a rock in the shoe.\" — Lars von Trier" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/lars-von-trier-9105_cinema_a-film-should-be-like-a-rock-in-the-shoe_2880445.jpg" --- # A film should be like a rock in the shoe. ![“A film should be like a rock in the shoe.” quote by Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/lars-von-trier-9105_cinema_a-film-should-be-like-a-rock-in-the-shoe_2880445.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/lars-von-trier-9105_cinema_a-film-should-be-like-a-rock-in-the-shoe_2880445.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/lars-von-trier-9105_cinema_a-film-should-be-like-a-rock-in-the-shoe_2880445.jpg) > “A film should be like a rock in the shoe.” [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A film should be as irritating and persistent as a rock in a shoe, implying it must be unforgettable and provoke discomfort. **In simple terms:** Films ought to be provocatively memorable. Key Takeaway Create work that challenges comfort zones. Themes art disruption impact Mood provocative challenging Type cinematic philosophical When to use this quote - independent film - experimental art - marketing - critical analysis Key Concepts cinema audience reaction Questions to Reflect On - What makes a film ‘rock‑like’? - How to balance discomfort with engagement? A Different Perspective Audience may reject overly uncomfortable content. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Film Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film-like/) [Like Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-rock/) [Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock/) [Rock Shoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-shoe-3989792/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Shoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoe/) [Shoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoes/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) ## Related quotes > [An idea in the head is like a rock in the shoe; I just can't wait to get it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/an-idea-in-the-head-is-like-a-rock-in-the-shoe-i-just-can-t-wait-to/) [Phyllis Reynolds Naylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/) > [A film has to be like a stone in the shoe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/a-film-has-to-be-like-a-stone-in-the-shoe/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [I don't have to save rock. I don't even like rock that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/i-don-t-have-to-save-rock-i-don-t-even-like-rock-that-much/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [So much of rock lyrics is just a mirror of real feeling. It doesn't feel dangerous to me. They just feel like "rock lyrics."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/so-much-of-rock-lyrics-is-just-a-mirror-of-real-feeling-it-doesn-t/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [“Being like a rock wall" is when a master of martial arts suddenly becomes like a rock wall, inaccessible to anything at all, immovable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miyamoto-musashi/being-like-a-rock-wall-is-when-a-master-of-martial-arts-suddenly/) [Miyamoto Musashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miyamoto-musashi/) > [Life is like a rock It can be heavy and it can crush you, Don't be a victim of depression and let the wrold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-payne/life-is-like-a-rock-it-can-be-heavy-and-it-can-crush-you-don-t-be-a/) [Daniel Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-payne/) > [If you like something, rock it. If you want to rock a cape every day, go for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/post-malone/if-you-like-something-rock-it-if-you-want-to-rock-a-cape-every-day-go/) [Post Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/post-malone/) > [“Musicians have always had a better understanding of love than the rest of us. Over the years they have told us that love: is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuthbert-soup/musicians-have-always-had-a-better-understanding-of-love-than-the/) [Cuthbert Soup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuthbert-soup/) > [I've said this before, and I'll say this again: NXT is like a rock concert, roller coaster ride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-cole/i-ve-said-this-before-and-i-ll-say-this-again-nxt-is-like-a-rock/) [Adam Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-cole/) > [I wrote a song with Kara DioGuardi called 'What If,' and it's a really beautiful song. It's kind of like a rock ballad. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-tisdale/i-wrote-a-song-with-kara-dioguardi-called-what-if-and-it-s-a-really/) [Ashley Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-tisdale/) > [Comics seem to be cooking these days. It's like being a rock star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-spiegelman/comics-seem-to-be-cooking-these-days-it-s-like-being-a-rock-star/) [Art Spiegelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-spiegelman/) > [There are two industry secrets to surviving a long day on camera on the red carpet: First, no drinking the night before - ever.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-mathews/there-are-two-industry-secrets-to-surviving-a-long-day-on-camera-on/) [Ross Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-mathews/) > [“shoes: that putting them on a bed invited death into the family, that a quarrel would follow if one put on the left shoe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/shoes-that-putting-them-on-a-bed-invited-death-into-the-family-that-a/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [A shoe dog is somebody that really loves shoes, and that was me. I was a runner... that became important to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/a-shoe-dog-is-somebody-that-really-loves-shoes-and-that-was-me-i-was/) [Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/) > [No one knows whom the shoe pinches - no one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sholom-aleichem/no-one-knows-whom-the-shoe-pinches-no-one/) [Sholom Aleichem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sholom-aleichem/) ## More by Lars von Trier > [I'm not a woman! Let's make that very clear! Oh I don't know, maybe I am. I am an American woman. Or 65 percent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/i-m-not-a-woman-let-s-make-that-very-clear-oh-i-don-t-know-maybe-i-am/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [I did a lot of strange things. But I am a bad Catholic that's for sure. Although I think it's difficult to believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/i-did-a-lot-of-strange-things-but-i-am-a-bad-catholic-that-s-for-sure/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [I think that sexuality is the part of human beings that is closest to nature. And nature is dangerous somehow, yes, if you put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/i-think-that-sexuality-is-the-part-of-human-beings-that-is-closest-to/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [If there are some people that like the film and some people that do not, that's fine for me, because I do not intend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/if-there-are-some-people-that-like-the-film-and-some-people-that-do/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [I think that limitations are the most important part of any art form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/i-think-that-limitations-are-the-most-important-part-of-any-art-form/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [The risk is that you furnish the project with new suggestions to try and freshen it up; it's not always beneficial. You risk betraying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/the-risk-is-that-you-furnish-the-project-with-new-suggestions-to-try/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [Just the fact that you're working is good for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/just-the-fact-that-you-re-working-is-good-for-you/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [I had a lot of frustrations, and I was drinking far too much, and I was just trying to survive and this is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/i-had-a-lot-of-frustrations-and-i-was-drinking-far-too-much-and-i-was/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [That's the great thing about entering a convent: There are things that you simply can't do, so you don't have to worry about them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/that-s-the-great-thing-about-entering-a-convent-there-are-things-that/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [True values entail suffering. That’s the way we think. All in all, we tend to view melancholia as more true. We prefer music and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/true-values-entail-suffering-that-s-the-way-we-think-all-in-all-we/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [I can't tell you why I choose stuff, it's really something I don't analyse. The only thing I can say is that a film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/i-can-t-tell-you-why-i-choose-stuff-it-s-really-something-i-don-t/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [I sit there pouring out my woes year after year, coming up with one enormity after another about my mother and the way she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/i-sit-there-pouring-out-my-woes-year-after-year-coming-up-with-one/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [When I show a film at a festival, I am showing myself. Everything is at stake for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/when-i-show-a-film-at-a-festival-i-am-showing-myself-everything-is-at/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [The secret ingredient to sex is love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/the-secret-ingredient-to-sex-is-love/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [Far be it from me to force anyone into either chess or dressage, but if you choose to do so yourself, in my opinion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/far-be-it-from-me-to-force-anyone-into-either-chess-or-dressage-but/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) [Explore all 74 Lars von Trier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A film should be like a rock in the shoe.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lars von Trier" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/a-film-should-be-like-a-rock-in-the-shoe/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cinema" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/a-film-should-be-like-a-rock-in-the-shoe/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/lars-von-trier-9105_cinema_a-film-should-be-like-a-rock-in-the-shoe_2880445.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/lars-von-trier-9105_cinema_a-film-should-be-like-a-rock-in-the-shoe_2880445.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/lars-von-trier-9105_cinema_a-film-should-be-like-a-rock-in-the-shoe_2880445.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A film should be like a rock in the shoe.” — Lars von Trier", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lars von Trier", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A film should be like a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/a-film-should-be-like-a-rock-in-the-shoe/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/a-film-should-be-like-a-rock-in-the-shoe/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```