The protagonist, Selma, has a habit of leaving a musical right after the "next-to-last song" so the movie never technically ends for her. During her final scene, she begins singing but is interrupted; the film then displays the final lyrics as on-screen text (subtitles) over the ending, fulfilling her wish for the story to continue beyond its conclusion.
Exploitation, Dogme 95 and Aristotle in Dancer in the Dark : r/TrueFilm subtitle dancer in the dark
As Selma is a Czech immigrant in rural America, subtitles (when used for translation in non-English releases) emphasize her isolation and the language barriers that contribute to her tragic situation. The protagonist, Selma, has a habit of leaving