Review of Melancholia (2011) by Andy C — 03 Aug 2012

"Life is only on Earth. And not for long." Stunning depiction of depression given an armageddon-like setting which is absolutely fitting and which allows an exploration of many, many brilliant ideas, thoughts, processes.

Full of meaning and depth, Melancholia has been referred to as a companion piece to Antichrist but is in my opinion, far, far superior. Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg give exceptional performances (for Dunst, always a gifted actress, it's undoubtedly a career high point), as does much of the impressive cast.

Lars von Trier himself seems, not un-ironically, less than entirely happy with the resulting film, at least judging from his interviews with the likes of "Sight & Sound" magazine, citing the special effects and the use of music in particular as failures.

To me though, all the elements work beautifully and disturbingly, from the haunting slow-motion prologue (which effectively gives away the ending, and which is possibly taken from dreams Justine refers to later in the film, along with her apparent, briefly mentioned pre-cognition), through Justine's tense wedding party ("What did you expect?") and Claire's increasing anxiety and all too brief respite, to the stunning, bleak ending.

There is so much fascinating psychology going on here (Justine seems visibly relieved that the world will be ending, and there's a possible inference in one scene that she may in fact be partially responsible for it).

Despite the heavy subject matter the film does not require an MD to appreciate it, even *enjoy* it for much of the running time. Days later, I'm still thinking about it. One of the best films of 2011, for sure, and my favourite Lars von Trier film to date.