The apocalypse according to Lars von Trier.

The Danish director and screenwriter Lars von Trier destroys the Earth in the opening moments of his drama-psychological thriller film, Melancholia. The destruction of the Earth, in exquisite slow motion, comes at the very end of a series of gorgeous, hyper slo-mo shots that recall the opening of Antichrist. These shots are moments of time in the end of our world, physically and emotionally. Many of the shots are representations of the emotional states of the characters later in the film, while some are heightened versions of the reality of Earth’s end. All are stunning and deserve to be seen on the biggest screen imaginable.

 

The film is split into two parts, Justine and Claire. The first part is about the wedding reception of Justine, played with raw vulnerability by the mesmerizing Kirsten Dunst. The reception is ruined as Justine’s clinical depression slowly destroys her over the course of the evening.

 

 Dunst truly is very incredible here and von Trier’s script gives her so much to work with. It is the most heartbreaking depiction of severe depression I have ever seen, but it doesn’t end there; von Trier is just as interested in how others deal with the depression. And so we have her new husband, played by a highly generic Alexander Skarsgård, trying to buy her joy by showing her the plot of beautiful land he has purchased. We see her father (a great, great performance by John Hurt) ignoring her pain. We see her boss totally oblivious to what she’s going through and trying to force her to work on her wedding night. Her brother-in-law tries to bargain with her, offering her an expensive party in exchange for happiness. Her nasty mother is a vision from the future warning her what she will become.

And then there’s Claire, her sister, played by the beautiful Charlotte Gainsbourg. She tries so hard to work around Justine’s depression, but in the end she is worn down by it. ‘Sometimes I hate you so much,’ she spits at her sister, frustrated at the way the mental illness keeps them so apart. It’s saddening and it’s honest; while the two actresses don’t look at all like they’re related, they play off of each other with subtle grace. A real relationship like this is rocky and filled with love and hate, and the two stars are perfect.

 

Justine’s section is surprisingly funny. von Trier finds several moments of comedy, black and otherwise, and weaves it through the reception. He has a wry, detached view of the silliness of the rituals of marriage and of how seriously everyone takes having a good time.

That first part hurtles to a universe destruction of a very personal kind. The last part gets much more literal. Where Justine suffers from extreme depression, Claire suffers from anxiety and the sudden appearance of a new blue planet, Melancholia, which is on a ‘fly-by’ path with Earth, doesn’t help. Justine has collapsed into a complete, debilitating depression while Claire freaks out about the possibility of Melancholia and Earth colliding. Meanwhile her husband is a scientific rationalist and is ecstatic about the approach of the new planet and he fully believes the scientists who say Melancholia will harmlessly pass us by.

 

The two parts of the film feel distinct. Justine's filled with shaky close-ups whilst Claire has an icy blueness to it; what’s interesting is that these styles feel like they should be transposed. But that would be obvious, and the jittery camerawork in Justine gives an energy to that half, while the composed coldness of Claire makes Gainsbourg’s slow panic meltdown feel all the stronger.
Gainsbourg is amazing in the film, but she ends up overshadowed by the truly bravura performance from Dunst. There’s a lot of snark towards Dunst out there, but the truth is that when challenged and in the right material she is capable of amazing things. She delivers amazing things in this film, living Justine’s pain while also letting us understand why the people in her life love her. She makes Justine’s emotional agony very real, but also digestible. Dunst isn’t doing emotional porn here - which maybe could cost her come Oscar time, when a big, melodramatic scene is worth more than two hours of subtle, subdued and honest acting.

 

That science fiction seriousness is a nice touch (I really think von Trier handles the parceling of information about Melancholia about perfectly, making it feel concrete w/o bending the narrative over to fit things in), but the real honesty of the film is emotional. von Trier’s empathy towards these sisters is deep, but he doesn’t let that cloud his film with sentimentality. His treatment of depression is honest and thoughtful and fair. Melancholia is a very beautiful film tinged with sadness, but it left me feeling extremely exhilarated about the state of the art of cinema and science fiction.

References:

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117945258/
http://ibyen.dk/film/anmeldelser/ECE1286284/dom-trier-har-skabt-et-aestetisk-originalt-overfloedighedshorn/
http://cineuropa.org/newsdetail.aspx?documentID=148856http://www.festival-cannes.com/assets/Image/Direct/042199.pdf
http://www.dfi.dk/Nyheder/NyhederFraDFI/2010/Stoette-til-Caroline-Mathildes-aar-og-Melancholia.aspx
http://www.dfi.dk/Service/English/News-and-publications/FILM-Magazine/Artikler-fra-tidsskriftet-FILM/72/The-Only-Redeeming-Factor-is-the-World-Ending.aspx