Melancholia [Blu-ray] [2011] [US Import]

I suppose it was pretty predictable how opinion would divide about the controversial Lars von Trier's (relatively uncontroversial) film. People will either love it or hate it. Those who are in thrall to Hollywood conventions of pace and narrative structure will not have the patience and stillness to absorb and relish this brooding meditation on madness and the end of the world. This is film as art, almost symphonic in conception, expressing complexes of thought and emotion that could never be communicated with words, or even images alone. It is a film about many things; madness and the paradoxical strength to be found at the bottom of despair; the fragility and irrationality of love; the absurdity of life in an insentient universe. It is also about the treacherously beautiful planet, Melancholia, which increasingly fills the sky as the intense but understated drama unwinds, until impact and near instant annihilation. This is not a science fiction or disaster movie; the planet is merely a device by which to explore the deepest human potentials of its characters, in otherwise inconceivable circumstances. The resulting film is a slow and majestic philosophical epic, on the theme of Schopenhaurian pessimism, in the spirit of Tarkovsky or Kubrick.I will never look at Kirsten Dunst, an actress I've never really taken much notice of before, in quite the same way again. Her characterisation of Justine, sister to Charlotte Gainsbourg's Claire, and her descent into severe depressive illness, and then fragile but timely reintegration in the face of cosmic catastrophe, is a lifetime achievement, and it is no surprise she took best actress at Cannes. Kiefer Sutherland as Claire's uptight, somewhat pompous, but essentially decent husband, John, is also magnetic, his presence being felt as much through the spaces he leaves for the sisters. Another star is the magnificent Swedish castle of Tjolöhom and its grounds, which provides the basis of the sumptuous cinematography, which at times verges on the painterly, reminiscent perhaps of the German Romantic, Caspar David Friedrich.Another key ingredient is the extensive use throughout of Wagner's transcendentally beautiful prelude to Tristan and Isolde, rather in the way that Visconti used the Adagio from Mahler's 5th for Death in Venice. My guess is that many of those who didn't respond well to the film might well have taken exception to this music, which is not just used as emotional filler, but as an integral component in the film's narrative flow.By all accounts Trier is not the most pleasant of people, and seems to wilfully court controversy and misunderstanding. Nonetheless, a mind capable of conceiving this work of bleak, enigmatic genius, must have some nobility hidden somewhere in his soul.

A film that begins with the ending. Unusual? Well, this is a Lars von Trier film after all. A word of caution: if you don't like the hand-held style of filming you won't like this. After the initial dreamlike opening sequence we join a newly wed couple in a limo on their way to the wedding reception, and the camera shake is so over the top I was about to eject the disk in disgust. Luckily, once they exit the car it becomes tolerable.The film is in two halves, the first entitled 'Justine', the name of the character played brilliantly by Kirsten Dunst. The second half is entitled 'Claire', the name of Justine's sister, played extremely well by the very talented Charlotte Gainsbourg. We already know right from the start that the world is going to end, and this sets the backdrop for the rest of the film.The aforementioned wedding reception is a lavish and exquisitely disastrous affair, with family tensions and a bride whose behaviour becomes increasingly morose and erratic, with predictably unfortunate consequences. Justine is a woman suffering from depression, or 'melancholia'. She doesn't care that the world is about to end: "The Earth is evil, we don't need to grieve for it. Nobody will miss it". Claire doesn't want to believe it's going to happen, and her rich husband John, played by Keifer Sutherland, is convinced that it won't happen.However, it does happen, and when it does it's an incredibly powerful moment. This is a film about depression, not the end of the world, and so you won't see any cliches of the disaster genre. What you will see is superb acting, superb direction, and an experience that will stay with you long after it's over.

This is a very haunting film because it is so unlike anything I have ever seen before. On the surface the first part is about a wedding which goes wrong but throughout there is an undercurrent of great suffering. The second part is equally atmospheric and is about the destruction of the planet. It is a film like no other. I enjoyed it and the performances but I can imagine it would be not be everyone’s cup of tea. Two hackneyed plots are turned on their head in a series of visually stunning moments. As the title suggests this is a film about sadness with no happy endings for anyone.

Seen the film so often I decided to buy the DVD. It remains a fine study in the ultimate expression of depression and simply going through the motions. It helps that the characters here are very well off and have little day to day worry of being able to afford or survive the day. But then the film is simply about how we cope and go through life. In the end the strongest of us when faced with ultimate conclusion probably have less fear and less panic. After all they have lived their lives with those emotions for so long anyway.A fine cast and well portrayed despite the over simplification of the script. Well worth delving into.

Weird, creepy, unusual. Although this is actually a really well made film, with good performances from its stars, its just really weird! The first half is interesting but the second half gets boring....until the END!Its good, so watch it. But expect to be puzzled...