In this article we will explain the connection that we find between Protestant anguish —defined by Luther and Kierkegaard— and the experience of the tragic from a modern perspective. To this end, we will carry out a textual analysis of some of the sequences of the Hypnotic Trilogy (1984-1991) by the Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. The reason we have chosen his work is mainly due to the criticism of Western society that his films contain, the release of tragedy through pain and from what the director calls the aesthetics of “the ugly”. Under these premises we will reflect on the opportunity we have in the tragic experience as one of the elements that allow us a reconciliation with the past and therefore with ourselves.