Review of Melancholia (2011) by Elizabeth B — 16 Apr 2013

Right from the start this was one bizarre as hell movie. We have a weird, slow motion opening that is obviously all symbolism for what's to come. Then we transition into some fancy pants wedding reception.

Something is going on with the Bride( Claire), and we wonder what's up with her, and her relationship with her new husband. She acts like an out of it drug addict for most of the movie, leaving us wondering how her new husband ever fell in love with her in the first place.

I was confused about all the side characters and who was related to whom, and how. I remained confused all the way to the end.

Then after this horrible reception, we are suddenly dealing with a rogue planet on a collision course with earth. No one truly knows if it will pass by, or score a direct hit. We deal with the reactions from everyone, good and bad, to this circumstance.

All throughout this, Claire continues to act like a strung out druggie, and Michael is nowhere to be found. We never get any explanation for any of it.

I believe this whole thing is supposed to be "arty" and open to interpretation. Too bad I found it to be overly long, pretentious, and filled with characters that I cared nothing for. A little backstory might have helped, but we get nothing. It feels like two different movies slammed together, with many of the most important parts spliced out. Not good.

P.S. I just don't get the Kirsten Dunst thing. She can be a decent actress, but I've never found her attractive at all. So it's weird when people in the movie keep calling her gorgeous and beautiful. Reminds me of the scene in The Dark Knight when The Joker was talking to Rachel(Maggie Gyllenhaal) and saying how beautiful she is. I love Maggie as an actress, but have never found her to be beautiful. Attractive in a quirky way, yes, but not beautiful.