Melancholia Review

Rated R (Some Graphic Nudity, Sexual Content and Language)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 16 Minutes

Cast:

Kirsten Dunst-Justine

Charlotte Gainsbourg-Claire

Kiefer Sutherland-John

Cameron Spurr-Leo

John Hurt-Dexter

Charlotte Rampling-Gaby

Stellan Skarsgård-Jack

Alexander Skarsgård-Michael

Brady Corbet-Tim

Jesper Christensen-Little Father

Udo Kier-Wedding Planner

Directed by Lars von Trier

The end of the world has never looked so beautiful in Lars von Trier's "Melancholia."

What does happiness mean to you? Do our lives hold any meaning in the grand, intricate web of the universe or is it something we manufacture in order to justify our existence? Danish film director and screenwriter Lars von Trier has been making movies for thirty-four years since 1977 and those who follow his work are aware that he suffers from a variety of phobias and at times, crippling depression. His intense fear of flying has led him to shoot all his films in Denmark or Sweden, even if it were taking place somewhere else and he insists on driving to France every time he is invited to the Cannes Film Festival. Von Trier suffered something of a breakdown in mid-2007 when his depression left him unable to work, leaving him feeling ‘like a blank sheet of paper’ but he did manage to finish working on the highly controversial “Antichrist” in late 2008. He admitted in an interview that ‘the script was filmed and finished without much enthusiasm, made as it was using about half of my physical and intellectual capacity.’ Von Trier’s latest work is “Melancholia” and functions as a way to exorcise his emotional demons and deal with depression. However, the premiere of the film at this past summer’s Cannes Film Festival was marred with controversy when he responded to a question from film critic Kate Muir of the British newspaper The Times by saying that he held some sympathy and understanding for Adolf Hitler, prompting the festival’s board of directors to declare him persona non grata for his comments. He later apologized and admitted that he made a bad joke but then backtracked by claiming that he didn’t make it clear that he was joking. The whole mess has forced him to declare that he would ‘refrain from all public statements and interviews.’ Honestly, I think his nervousness got the best of him, causing him to ramble and not know when to stop. It’s a shame we won’t hear from him again but at least we’ll have his films and “Melancholia” is by all means an amazing one, a masterpiece that feels like a companion piece to Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” released earlier this year with one exploring the birth of the Earth and another exploring its end. Visually stunning, grandiose, and operatic, “Melancholia” explores the emptiness and lack of significance our lives hold when faced with Armageddon—a beautiful movie about the end of the world indeed. 

During a prologue set to Richard Wagner’s Prelude from his famous opera Tristan und Isolde (which also serves as the film’s leitmotif), a series of slow-moving images depict the final moments of two sisters while a rogue blue terrestrial planet dubbed ‘Melancholia’ collides with Earth in a cataclysmic explosion. Divided into two parts, the first half focuses on Justine (Kirsten Dunst), an advertising copywriter promoted to art director about to be wed to a naïve young man named Michael (Alexander Skarsgård) at the castle-like home of her sister, Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and her wealthy husband John (Kiefer Sutherland). The wedding is glamorous and no expense is spared but as the night wears on, Justine becomes alienated and withdraws inward. Justine’s estranged parents, Gaby (Charlotte Rampling) and Dexter (John Hurt), argue amongst themselves while her self-absorbed boss, Jack (Stellan Skarsgård) spends the whole night pushing her into providing him with an advertising tagline. On numerous occasions she looks up at the sky at a bright red star, which John, an aspiring astronomer, identifies as Antares, part of the Scorpius constellation. Her crippling depression causes her to lash out at Jack and when the night is over, Michael leaves with his parents. Antares disappears from the night sky and the second part, which focuses on Claire, reveals that a massive rogue planet named Melancholia has eclipsed it and is approaching Earth but will not collide according to scientists. This turns out to be false and as the planet draws closer, Claire slips further and further into panicked state of anxiety while Justine simply accepts, and even welcomes, the inevitability that they and everyone on Earth will die. 

Hollywood has destroyed the Earth many times over but “Melancholia” is unlike any of those films. There are no expositional news broadcasts detailing the impending doom, no focus on attempts to prevent the coming cataclysm, no hackneyed melodrama, nor are there cities or famous monuments being destroyed in spectacular fashion in an orgy of over-blown CG. The end just happens and the simplicity and insignificant way it’s depicted in the beginning of the film ties into the main themes that Von Trier focuses on, that humanity is inconsequential in the universe and that no one will even remember us once we’re all gone. It’s a cynical worldview that is held by people who suffer from depression and feel that their lives hold no meaning. Working at two emotional extremes, Von Trier explores the two sisters as they face the inevitably of their death in a destructive cosmic event beyond their own control. Justine (named after the main character from Marquis de Sade’s novel of the same name) believes that happiness is a false concept and although she tries, she is unable to stop herself from falling into a deep depression and views the false veneer that people display as hypocritical. Life is full of suffering but people refuse to accept it by living in denial. Death is inevitable and since it cannot be escaped, then what is the point of living? Claire, however, sees much to be thankful for, with a loving husband and son but this ‘world’ she has created begins to crumble apart once the threat of Melancholia looms over her. The situation becomes reversed as Claire slips into an anxiety attack in a futile attempt to control what she cannot while Justine feels calm, almost serene that the end is coming. Never has Peter Wastholm’s quote, ‘Always expect the worst, and you will never be disappointed,’ been more apt. At one point, Justine strips naked and lies in the grass under the night sky, staring longingly as Melancholia approaches in a peace-like state, almost as if she was welcoming the rogue planet with open arms. Von Trier often puts his female heroines, and his audience, through the gauntlet, because he wants us to identify with his nihilistic worldview and feel what he feels inside. The only question that remains is whether you agree with him or not: Are our lives meaningless and do we manufacture our own happiness with trivial customs in a lifelong state of denial? Is it a futile attempt to grant meaning to our lives and when faced with our own mortality, should we simply accept it or attempt to claw for some semblance of control even when there is none? There are no easy answers. 

Despite the dour subject matter, there are some moments of levity such as when the wedding planner (Udo Kier) gets disappointed at Justine as a bride that he cannot even look at her, covering his face with his hand every time she passes by. In addition to its thought-provoking themes, “Melancholia” is one of the most beautiful films I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience and much of it is owed to cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro. The eight minute prologue that opens the film is a feast for the eyes as Melancholia slowly approaches while images of the sisters are intercut with slow motion, such as Justine floating in a pond while wearing her wedding dress like Ophelia from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet or Claire desperately trying to escape with her son but unable to as the ground below threatens to swallow them up. The ending will stun you into silence as Justine, Claire and her son sit in a circle under a makeshift tent constructed from tree branches while Melancholia slams into Earth as Wagner’s Prelude crescendos. The film features no traditional score other than the Prelude from Tristan und Isolde, cutting in and out during specific scenes and events. 

The acting is of the highest caliber as both Charlotte Gainsbourg and Kirsten Dunst deliver awards-worthy performances but it is the latter woman who makes the most lasting impression. This is easily the best work that Dunst has done in her career as she portrays a woman who is virtually dead inside and when the end comes, it’s almost as if it’s a big relief for her to finally be released from this sad, physical existence. She received the Best Actress Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and I have no doubt that she’ll be nominated at next year’s Academy Awards, perhaps even win as well. The rest of the supporting cast largely appear in the first half and deliver some fine, if less showy performances, although Kiefer Sutherland can’t quite shake off Jack Bauer.  I half-expected him to say through gritted teeth ‘DAMMIT!’ whenever he displayed anger. The dialogue was all improvised with von Trier providing instruction between takes so the interactions aren’t as forced compared to more mainstream productions, which utilize rehearsals. 

Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival back in May and in limited release since November 11, 2011, “Melancholia” has received largely positive reviews with 79% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that the film’s ‘dramatic tricks are more obvious than they should be, but this is otherwise a showcase for Kirsten Dunst's acting and for Lars von Trier's profound, visceral vision of depression and destruction.’ It’s currently playing at the Angelika Film Center, which also includes a rather intimate café where you can sit and read while you wait. This theater focuses on independent and art-house films so the screen is a rather small and the auditoriums do not have stadium seating. You can also hear the rumble of the subway underneath your feet but you get used to it after awhile. The most important thing is that cinema lovers can see films that AMC and Regal often shy away from. With a production budget of approximately $7.4 million, “Melancholia” has made $9.3 million worldwide so far but I doubt von Trier cares about such trivial matters. Will it be nominated for Best Picture at next year’s Academy Awards? The probability is high but winning is an entirely different matter as the judges have increasingly chosen more conventional, crowd-pleasing films. “Melancholia” definitely appeals to a more niche audience as most would not call it entertaining and will find it even tedious and boring. For those looking for an alternative from mainstream Hollywood fare look no further as von Trier’s latest is hypnotic and terrifying at the same time that if the end does come, I wish it would be as beautiful as the way it is depicted here while Wagner’s Prelude plays lovingly in the background.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

“The Earth is evil; we don’t need to grieve for it. Nobody will miss it. Life is only on Earth. And not for long.”