Review of Melancholia (2011) by Timothy O — 12 Oct 2013

I can see why some people might find this film incredibly isolating and jarring. Essentially a character study about depression placed against the backdrop of a rogue planet careening towards earth, with no guarantee if it will collide with us or not.

The reason this film works so well is the sense of time and place it puts you in.The film is broken into two sections, chapter one: Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and chapter two: Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg.

) The two sisters have what can only be seen as a complicated relationship, with Claire often saying "I hate you so much sometimes Justine." Chapter one follows Charlotte on the night of her wedding, while chapter two focuses more on Claire's increasing fear and anxiety about the planet (Melancholia) decimating earth.

We get glimpses of Justine's manic nature during her wedding night, but it is not until chapter two that we really get the full scale of her condition. The cinematography in this film is absolutely beautiful.

From the very artsy opening scene, to the absolutely unforgettable ending, this film looks great. It's rare that a film truly captures the nature of clinical depression, and Dunst in this sense should be praised for her portrayal of it.

No moment to me ever felt forced or phoned in. This is arguably her best role yet. The sense of hopelessness she feels throughout the film is only magnified by the inevitable worlds end. It can sometimes be difficult to allow yourself to get fully emotionally invested in these characters however, since within the first 10 minutes of the film, we get imagery of Melancholia obliterating earth.

This simultaneously plays to the films strengths. We already know how it's going to end, yet we still place hope in the fact that maybe the rogue planet will somehow miss earth, and Von Trier was tricking us all along.

Well, there is no trickery going on here, and in the end, Justine's hopelessness allows her to not fear death, but rather embrace it, as if this is what she's been waiting for all along. A way out.

The final scene will leave you absolutely breathless.