Melancholia - B+

Coming soon (Currently OnDemand). Rated R, 135 minutes. Trailer.

Danish Director Lars Von Trier has courted controversy lately with pro-Hitler comments in Cannes this past May and the genital mutilation, misogyny and overall weirdness of his previous film, Antichrist (including this famous demon voiced fox...). Despite all that, I was intrigued by his new film, Melancholia, because of its doomsday focus and 'normal' narrative. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Stellan and Alexander Skarsgaard, Kiefer Sutherland and Charlotte Gainsbourg the film is split into two parts, each focusing on a sister. Kirsten Dunst's Justine is the focus of the first chapter as her bizarre behavior ruins her own wedding. Gainsbourg's Claire is the focus of the second and much stronger chapter which focuses tightly on the family dynamics as a planet hurtles toward earth and may or may not collide with earth. Click below for more on MELANCHOLIA:


The title sequence of the film is set to Wagner and features a series of beautiful but odd stills and moving photos that don't really make sense in advance of the film, but let you know you're in store for a visually beautiful and challenging couple of hours. The first chapter at the wedding is hard to watch without knowing that Justine has visions of the future and that she is afflicted by Melancholia. There are several interesting frames and lots of insightful extended family explorations that are worth watching.

The second chapter reveals the real threat of annihilation and informs the first chapter as Justine's irrationality is explained. Throughout this portion of the film, the visuals are stunning and the music provides a mood that both ominous and hopeless.

Von Trier is a visual alchemist and this film does not disappoint. I found its commentary on the futility of life in the face of the end of the world to be very thought-provoking.

This is not for everyone, but I found myself thinking about the day after and really enjoyed it.