Melancholia [Blu-ray]

`Melancholia' is a film that is going to be extremely divisive. Not everyone is going to appreciate this, and yet there are going to be some that laud this as one of the finest films ever made. I can certainly see its flaws, and yet there is this underlying captivating atmosphere that I can't help but wholly appreciate.`Melancholia' is a unique and engrossing experience that is less what it seems and more what you'd come to expect from an auteur as controversial as Lars von Trier.The opening montage of cataclysmic destruction plays out like a Vogue editorial shoot captured in slow motion. It seems almost anticlimactic to show us the end before the beginning, and while I understand that this cinematic trick (or gimmick) is initially rather off-putting and presumes to fail the overall purpose of the film somewhat by showing us the cause of concern before we truly understand the concern building in the key characters, it works in a way that I can't quite explain. I personally was rather upset with the sequence upon watching it, but as the film tied itself together I found myself calling it to mind with awe for I saw how the pieces of that puzzle came together in an unexpected way.And, one cannot forsake its beauty.And then the actual film starts, which is broken into two sections.The first part of `Melancholia' focuses on Justine, the bride. Her lavish wedding begins with promise. Her `filthy rich' brother-in-law has paid for the spectacle to take place at his gigantic home, complete with a butler, an 18 hole golf course and a slew of guest rooms (with baths, not showers). The joyous couple show up late, thanks to an oversized limo and some narrowly curved roads, and then all joy seems to evaporate as Justine's intense depression sets in and begins to erode her happiness. Everyone around her fails to understand her condition, even though most of them try (especially her groom and her sister). Justine seems bewitched by a red star she seems looming overhead; a star that goes unseen by the others. This star sets a strange precedent for the remains of the evening as Justine's behavior becomes more reclusive and catatonic almost.Bridges are burned, relationships are broken all hope is lost.The second half switches focus to Claire, the elder sister. While Justine is certainly suffering from depression, Claire begins to delve into paranoia as the impending collision with the mysterious planet Melancholia grows closer and closer. They don't ever say how much time as elapsed since the wedding, where that `star' first reared its head, but Justine is still sulking in misery and the agitation she caused on that `blessed day' obviously still lingers."It tastes like ashes."With only five days left before Melancholia is supposed to `pass' Earth, Claire and Justine begin to come to terms with the inevitabilities of their futures.At the core of `Melancholia' is a sharply constructed look at mental instability and the effect it has on our own personal survival. Justine's character is of particular interest because her depression, which is initially assumed to stem from the planet traveling towards Earth, is almost eased by the foreknowledge that the end is coming. She possesses a unique bond with the planet, a connection (as seen by her nude moon-bathing) that helps ease her dissention since she is obviously of the accord that life on Earth is corrupted; infected with an evil that, even in its most unintuitive form is still prevalent and contaminating.For her, eradication is a way out of a life she cannot support.From a technical standpoint, `Melancholia' is something special. The imagery is stunning. Lars von Trier has a great track record of using a film's cinematography to eclipse the viewer and sustain his themes. `Antichrist' was a film that suffered in conception and yet it was sustained to a degree thanks to the beautiful and captivating way in which it was shot (not to mention Gainsbourg's phenomenal performance). Here, the night sky is illuminated by cascading stars and eerily shifted cloud structures. Even the murky yet polished way in which the close-ups are rendered is astonishing to watch. I was really taken by the nostalgic score, one that embodied the same sound and atmosphere as the classic apocalyptic and science fiction films. The drama is there, bolded with each swell in the music.Performance-wise, the film belongs to Kirsten Dunst. She is remarkable here. This is a truly restrained and intimate performance, no real showboating or dramatics involved. Instead, Dunst takes a far more realistic look at depression by holding it all in. Sure, she has her crying fits and breakdowns, but she internalizes so much. I'm so happy for her Cannes win, especially since Oscar will most likely look the other way (they like their actresses to SHOW their pain), but I completely concur with many who say this is quite possibly her finest work. She has been one of my favorite actresses for years, and I am so thrilled to see her making some intriguing and rewarding film choices (she should have won the Oscar last year for her tremendous work in `All Good Things'). I also was wholly impressed with Kiefer Sutherland, who dwelled in the skin of his character, adding little touches that made him feel complete as opposed to a mere prop (unlike the younger Skarsgard, who just proved uninteresting). Kiefer portrays an odd warmth, paternal and yet elusively selfish. You can see his colors changing as the film progresses, and his many shades, while never blatant or wholly exposed, haunt long after he's left the screen.In the end, `Melancholia' is probably the strangest `apocalyptic' film you'll ever see, and while it contains certain flaws, those flaws are swallowed and digested by the films ravenous pluses. The pacing is extraordinary (don't listen to the naysayers claiming this film drags, for it most certainly does not) for it allows the impending dread to set it slowly, meticulously, calculated and yet entirely natural so that you feel yourself letting go as you watch Justine and Claire prepare themselves for the afterlife.

This film is visually stunning and visceral in it's masterful and highly stylized portrayal of depression. I could watch it with the volume off and understand everything that's happening, but not feel at all that the story is dumbed down or lacking, the acting and layout of the film is that good. In fact, everything about this film is superb, especially the acting. I have tried really hard to review this without spoilers, but I probably didn't do such a good job lol because there is just so much to say. Reader, beware, you might feel spoiled past this point.Two sisters, their relationship and the relationships around them are real but also symbolic, the planetary events, the wedding, just... wow. It will make you think deeply, especially if you are mentally different or someone who loves and cares for someone who is. Very often while watching I had the impression that the story was pure allegory, all just being played out in the mind. The fun of this was deciding what was real from what was internal, and then realizing there is no difference and that this is one of the main messages of this film. Melancholia looming, unknowable, the cause of much consternation and scientific guessing (as most mental health diagnosis are today), and there's nothing anyone, not anyone, can do about this massive world and the inevitable conclusion it will bring.The wedding, all the resources (monetary and emotional) spent to join well meaning but ultimately fruitless efforts to bring stability and happiness (based on the opinions of others; what they think will bring her happiness, or what traditionally brings it, or what makes them personally happy) to change the protagonist lol... and while they're doing this, its so artful how this film shows each character bringing to bear the many kinds of anxiety a mental health patient may feel from everyone around them while those people are trying to "fix" them and the pressure put upon them to become "fixed". While well meaning, none of it was really ever for the protagonist, it's done so others can feel better. These were performative acts that forced the protagonist to also perform- to be performatively happy, to cover up what's really always there, looming, like an inevitable planet about to crash into and destroy everything....This film is not for everyone. Its going to make a lot of people uncomfortable in a similar way depression and mental differentness in real life can make others react and feel. This is clearly reflected in the film, as some want to fix the person, some want to just get them in the bath, have them eat a meal. Some, like the boss at the wedding, just want to take advantage of the brilliance that often comes from such differences. They who are different, like the protagonist, need loving, real human interventions at times, and that need can be met with many different types of responses and actions, both nurturing and destabilizing. And it is often a thankless job to be the helper, it can bring hopelessness, and there is an understanding that this will be a persistent need. These themes make everyone ask questions, you'd have to be empty and foolish, maybe even a little vapid, if you left this film without a lot to consider.That being said, this is not a happy film. It shows depression in a very visceral way, explicitly, and even while doing so in complete artistic beauty, there's no denying what the film is expressing. The message relating to all this beauty on the outside (the mansion, its lush grounds, the horses, the gown she wears etc) is that to the depressed person, wealth and opulence are meaningless when you cannot feel happy. Depression can be so debilitating that nothing can change it, and it cannot be cured. So, if you are prone to depressions I think you'll love this film, but you might want to be feeling stable when you watch it. This should not be your go-to if you're already sad, save it for another day. But do give it a go, I am mentally different and I found it refreshing to see such an honest and heartfelt depiction of something that's part of my every day life. Usually my condition is paraded about by the press, sensationalized, and very little help comes from the constant flow of public opinions on this subject. At least this film made me feel seen, a rare thing in our culture. And it did so with grace and intelligence, and in the form of high art. I'm flattered, I really am, and I hope if you're different, that you'll feel a little more free from watching this. A little more seen. and know you're not alone.

Lars von Trier - in my view - joins that distinguished list of very overrated film directors, together with John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, and Tim Burton. I do not mean that they necessarily are bad directors nor that I dislike the films they make: what I do mean is that they do not deserve the acclaim they receive from their devotees, and Lars von Trier certainly has his fanatical following.The first aspect of Lars von Trier is that everything seem contrived: not just his films but his behaviour seems to be contrived specifically to attract publicity. But let us consider Melancholia, which is one part of a trilogy.The film is about is dysfunctional family and at the same time is a rather poor science fiction story about a planet on course to collide with the Earth. The film is divided into three parts: the first short part consists of a series of over arty, slow motion shots; the second part is about Justine's wedding reception in her sister, Clare's grand house; in the third part we see Justine living with Claire and her husband as the rogue planet heads on its collision course.The second part is tediously long with annoying wobbly hand held camera shots: or perhaps I'm a philistine and that's art! There's lots of mumbling and over loud music. Justine is ill and initially I thought she was suffering from a neurological condition but no - it's depression. There is lots of argument between members of the family and Justine hesitates about consummating her marriage, has sex with some lad, and runs away.In the third part the rogue planet looms closer curiously making a rumbling sound but has no other effects. And then crash so they all die happily ever after.The film ties too hard to be 'arty' and is contrived, pretentious and gimmicky. It is saved to some extent by the first rate acting. I particularly enjoyed Charlotte Gainsbourg (as Claire) and John Hurt (as the sisters' father). If you wish to see well directed films in this genre see David Lynch and Luis Buñuel.Oh, and cowboy_dan, I am not a moron as my dictionary of psychiatry does not define that word as 'someone who dislikes Lars von Trier'. I am perhaps a child who can see that the Emperor really does not have any clothes on.

I’ve avoided seeing most of Lars von Trier’s movies since a friend and I sat in a London cinema one evening in 1984(!) trying not to fall off our seats laughing at The Element of Crime, one of the silliest movies we’d ever seen.I was more impressed by Breaking the Waves, and just about endured Dancer in the Dark, then I gave up on the Danish enfant terrible.Until now.Melancholia is a grave, sad, sometimes comic, poignant tale, in two complementary parts, of two sisters, Justine and Claire {Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsboirg, both brilliant}, Claire’s husband {Kiefer Sutherland, superb}, their rakish father {John Hurt, hilarious}, and Justine’s potential father-in-law, played by the always good Stellan Skarsgård. Charlotte Rampling has fun as their waspish, cynical mother. In the first part we are at a wedding in Claire’s sumptuous country house; the more sober part two concentrates on the fears concerning the blue planet ~ and the mental state ~ of the title, as it approaches our own…I can only call this unusual, wonderfully acted film what it is: beautiful. Its writer-director finds humour and a skewed optimism in an apocalyptic scenario, with the perennially underrated Dunst, and the soulful, selfless Gainsbourg repaying him tenfold.However, I could have done with less of the ‘whispery’ acting so prevalent these days, and I say that as someone with very good hearing.Von Trier is himself a depressive, and here he honours the illness both literally and visually, with Dunst {also a sufferer} in the role of her life ~ she won best actress at Cannes, but why not an Oscar? Yes, that good.One to keep and watch again, one dark and rainy day.

I like all kind of movies, one could even say some I like are " outside the box" Machinist" ,"Magnolia" ,"Mulholland Drive" and Mother etc ,BUT this was just SLOW zzzzz, really pretentious ,it had just about zero story line OR a very simple one made out to look intelligent, ie the fact that K Dunst suffers from Melancholia and the Planet that's going towards earth is also called Melancholia, it could be said her Melancholia is attracting planet Melancholia.BUT put simply it starts at the end so you know everyone's going to DIE, like I said its very SLOW, and what dialogue there is just doesn't grab ones attention, as I started off saying and will finish, Art for arts sake, very pretentious, dull, I know film is personal taste but its almost like having the right trendy magazines on your coffee table, all gloss and zero substance, GO and watch Magnolia and see how a long film that's slow should be made a film that holds your attention.

visually stunning , bleak , and lives up to the name. Some of it might not be astronomically correct , and the premise that a mechanistic universe wants to wipe out life as an aberration is probably falsifiable here ( as there should be nothing directing the decision , obviously) , but this fiml stays with me since I first saw it when it came out ,. For me , this is LVT's greatest film , so far , though there are arguments to be made for the others . The ending , though grim , is at the same time uplifting , and after a bad day I find the film makes things right...

I've been out of action for a while and have spent a lot of my recovery re-watching old favourites.I've now watched this film three times now, and it gets better each time. Good to see Kirsten Dunst in a film that showcases her considerable talent. She is excellent, as Charlotte Gainsbourg; the whole cast in fact. And the juxtaposition of two such physically different women being sisters adds another dimension to the story and works beautifully.Some reviewers have commented that the film is self indulgent - let's be honest; most movies are to an extent, but that doesn't necessarily matter. For me, it certainly didn't in this instance. I think it is Lars von Triers' best film to date.