Review of Melancholia (2011) by Halfwelshman — 18 Mar 2012

Melancholia may very well be the greatest story about depression ever committed to film. It's profoundly moving, complex and well-performed. Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Kiefer Sutherland make for a very impressive cast, with Dunst delivering the performance of her career.

Who'd have thought an intimate analysis of the effects of crippling depression would effectively mesh with a disaster movie? Ony such an unconventional director as Lars von Trier would even consider such a combination.

A planet colliding with the Earth and humanity's ultimate doom makes for a great metaphor for crippling depression - feeling like the whole world is baring down on you, and that you're utterly isolated and helpless.

It's a surprisingly effective thematic juxtaposition, that makes for an extremely intelligent and beautiful overall filmic experience. The film is equal parts epic and intimate, blockbuster and and arthouse, melodrama and realism.

You have some great scenes if extreme contrast - the strikingly honest, observant scenes where Justine (Dunst) and her condition clash with the understanding and the patience of her wedding guests, and the utterly terrifying apocalyptic scenes of the film's finale where humanity faces its inevitable and utter destruction.

The use of Wagner's layered, evocative music and the sparing but effective use of dazzling special effects also help to make the film utterly memorable. In the end, the tragedy of Melancholia is not its undeniably pessimistic ending, or the way in which it approaches its extremely dark subject matter, but the lack of recognition it will receive due to von Trier's Cannes outburst.

Had he kept his thoughts to himself, the film would undoubtedly have been the runaway awards-winner of 2011. It should have been an instant classic, a film that will influence many generations to come, but what will be remembered is the director's misjudged and undeniably insensitive jokes about the Holocaust and Nazi affiliations.

This is a real shame, because as a viewing experience, Melancholia will stay with you long after the film reaches its climax - it's an emotional, mesmerising, extremely well-written and utterly human experience.