Melancholia

Most films about the apocalypse involve a group of characters, who are trying to run from the disaster at hand, wanting to fix everything, including saving the world. These movies usually include frantic violence and special effects, paper-thin characters, and not even a remote possibility of feeling sympathy for a character, because you know they will win in the end. However, in Lars Von Trier's "Melancholia", none of this is really the case. From the opening sequence, you know essentially what is going to happen. However, I won't accuse this film of being predictable, because it uses absolutely no cliches that are so typical of the disaster film sub-genre. And plus, it has much more to fall back on. The film centers around two sisters - Justine (Kirsten Dunst), and Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Justine is getting married to Michael (Alexander Skarsgard), however Justine has been severely depressed for a very long time. She hasn't been able to cope with a lot of the changes in her life, and she doesn't know why. Claire has a young son, and she's always been the kind of person who looks after others, her sister, her child, and the rest of her family. When there is talk of a new planet called Melancholia, and the likelihood of it colliding with Earth, it forces Claire and Justine to look back on their lives, and ponder the decisions that they have made, and to find the meaning of their own lives before it becomes too late. If you only need one reason to watch this film, it's Kirsten Dunst. I never quite saw Dunst as a serious actress. I had seen her in mostly comedies, however I thought she gave a wonderful performance in Sofia Coppola's re-imagination of "Marie Antoinette", however, I thought that maybe Dunst just got lucky that one time. This film proves that she can act, and she may even be Oscar worthy. Proving herself to be a character actress, her expressive eyes and face tell you so much about her character, even when she is saying nothing at all. Charlotte Gainsbourg was apparently in a few of Triers' other films, yet this is the first thing I had seen her in. She's fabulous shining just as much as Dunst. The audience might relate or identify with her character more, making her, in a way, the heart of this picture. Her acting style is very poignant, quiet and thoughtful. I can't wait to see what she does next. Keifer Sutherland and Alex Skarsgard have minor roles here, and while they're very good, their characters could have been better-developed, and as thought out as the two female leads. Lars Von Trier has made quite a few award-winning films. However, none that I can recall are as universal, approachable and ambitious as "Melancholia". As someone who attempted to watch "Dogville" and never quite got the hang of it, I can say that this is a massive improvement. First of all, "Dogville" had a running time about two minutes shy of three hours. It didn't have enough going for it. However, this one has everything going for it. As the title suggests, a somber, and depressing mood is established early on in the film. However, it displays a lot of fine acting and cinematography, and the way that startling and beautiful images are put together with concertos from Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" make for something beautiful, and uncompromisingly haunting. The theme, or message of this film is about togetherness, and family. However, there are so many metaphors scattered throughout this movie, that you might take something different away from it than I did. Regardless, you won't forget about this film anytime soon. While the term "art film" has been thrown around to disposable and forgettable films, this is a true art film. The imagery and soundtrack, and the reputable lack of special effects, considering this is essentially a disaster film, are undeniably refreshing. While it is very depressing and devastating, it leaves an impression that is unlike anything you've experienced in film before. It's extremely and unrelentingly thought-provoking, and like the best art, it's open to interpretation. Grade: A-

A lot of the reviews here that are one star are very troubling. I'm reminded of the people who reportedly walked out of the theaters during Tree of Life, or Twilight fans posting book reviews of Stoker's Dracula or Tess of the d'Urbervilles (that was mentioned so frequently by the author of Twilight). I get it. The movie is slow paced. I get it. The science fiction is a mere backdrop rather than the focus. But the movie is meant to explore an emotion, not merely state it. It explores how severe depression really is. It explores how those without depression react to tragedy and how those with it become numb to stress and tragedy. It is slowly paced - but it does so to bring you to an emotional realization. There's nothing wrong with movies that are action and more highly paced in their drama. But, for me, Melancholia - along with other incredibly cerebral science fiction like the Her or the UK televsion series, Black Mirror, are these scifi pieces that are really upping the game as far as art goes. Too often is science fiction just the window dressing for dumb action movies. Too often do supposedly adult drama mean to do nothing but over stimulate you and sell you a soap opera story. Very rarely does a piece get so intimate, require you to reflect upon the people and their situation without jarring you to the next situation and the next and the next. In a world where society must constantly be forced to be over stimulated, this asks you to slow down to explore this one thing. And frankly - the one star reviews here say more about the reviewers, than they do the movie. The shooting locations and the capturing of them are just absolutely gorgeous, it's incredibly well acted and the prelude to Richard Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde set the tone of the film perfectly. My one petty complaint, is the naming of the planet. The movie is aptly titled - but there was no real reason to actually name the planet crashing into earth that very thing. But i suppose it fit the flow and feel of the movie.

This film haunts me. At the end of the first veiwing,I couldn't get it out of my head. Whatever flaws it has are made up for by some of the most beautiful scenes I've ever seen on film. The reason it is 4 stars and not 5 is simple-I hate the stupid hand held "shaky cam" crap-it is horrible film-making. In fact,I will not watch a movie that is filmed that way. I consider it junk film making. The main issue with it is that it takes me out of the film. Is the first half of the film,the Wedding scene,really too long? Or is it just the stupid shaky cam taking me out of the film over and over? I can be captivated by a character,and then the camera jerks around and I am out of the moment. I really hate it-just say no young film-makers,just say no. Use real movie making skills please. So if I hate the shaky cam so much,why did I sit through this? Because the first 8 and a half minutes may be the most amazing opening I have ever seen on film. It is stunning,and just left me with my jaw on the ground. By the time the shaky cam started,I had to watch no matter what. The first half may drag,but it sets up the second half. As Justine shuts down and Clair cares for her all seems in order(if a bit nuts)but then it all shifts. And there are moments that leave you breathless. When Clair is outside looking at the planet at night,she sees Justine walking out after being almost comatose during this part of the film. As Clair follows her,you expect something awful to be waiting for you. But when what Clair is seeing is revealed,it may be the most beautiful frame of film I have ever seen. Justine naked by the stream,bathing in the light of Melancholia-I have never seen a woman shown in such deep beauty. As the end comes,as Justine becomes clearer even as Clair falls apart,there are moments. When Justine says "Earth is evil-there's no need to greive for it" it left me moved. When she says "We are alone",I felt it. And when the end comes,the power of it just won't go away. Kirsten Dunst puts on the finest acting performance of the year-there is no other competition. And this movie just won't get out of my head. It is not for everyone,but for those of us who are touched by it,it is something special,a true one of a kind. It is power and beauty within the rubble. You either feel it or you don't.

I am an avid fan of Lars Von Trier and collect all of his films but during the first half of Melancholia I was almost prepared to give it only 3 stars (with an extra star just because its Lars), however bored and disinterested the film may have left me feeling during its initial chapter titled 'Justine,' the end of the latter and the whole of the second chapter did manage to enthrall and enchant. I'm accustomed to being mentally, visually and intellectually stimulated and hypnotized by his films almost immediately and it took longer for that to happen this time around. The story of Melancholia is a meditation on that subject as symbolized by a young woman who suffers from that condition and a planet also called by that name. I won't give away too much of the story but can confirm it will not disappoint, its a very romantic film for Trier, with exquisite shots and probably his most accessible storyline to date. His penchant for offending certain viewers isn't anywhere to be found in this film and its not heavily layered with meaning and contradiction like many of his other projects so the interpretation of the film is quite clear. The film is a lyrical mediation on sadness, fear, anxiety and acceptance of reality and his characters are psychologically well portrayed. Ms. Dunst is cast against type as she portrays the depressed main character and the woman pulls it off with remarkable finesse. A far cry from bouncy smiley debutant type this is strong role for Kirsten and punches through any pre-concieved notions one might have of her as an actress. So here again Lars earns five stars from me. Cannot wait to see what he will tackle next.

Several months have passed since I watched this film, and it still hovers in my psyche. Like a great work of literature, the images it evokes only hint at metaphor, so that the lessons we derive from making the connections are deeper and more personal, and feel like our own insights. I have been exposed to numerous important films over the years (I am the partner of a film scholar) and I am attracted to movies from every genre, but only a handful are this memorable, honestly. (A bit of free association conjures up Days of Heaven, L.I.E., La Strada, 5 East Pieces, Chinatown, Three Women, The Talented Mr. Ripley... each for different reasons.) That said, I would recommend watching this one when you have time to contemplate it afterwards, and not when you are in the mood for an entertaining yarn. I read reviews when the film was in theaters and knew I was interested, yet after it was released in DVD, I let it sit on my wish list for months; then it sat on our shelf unwatched for as long. It was worth the wait for the right moment, as it is a film you have to be ready to let in. I should also say that Kirsten Dunst's performance is phenomenal. In this, she reveals deep emotional storms within her character, while keeping her performance fully reined in. Impressive. As proved by the wide-ranging reviews, this is not a film for everyone, and that's not to disparage those who can't relate to it. For me it was a revelation.

We really enjoyed this movie. We have already seen it three times and I never see movies three times within the first viewing. Acting is superb and the story is multi-layered. If you are going just for a science fiction disaster film you are in for a treat...if you can be flexible. If you can appreciate the humor in dysfunctional families and dysfunctional family events you get still another treat. The wedding will make any quirks in your family seem mild by comparison. The approach of the big beautiful blue planet is what you are waiting for and it does not disappoint either....but you have to be patient. On top of all that, the settings are gorgeous....from the lavish estate and wedding to the surrounding countryside in a country you never quite identify...but it could be one of many in the Western world. No cost was spared to bring you into another world with respect to the filming. I am just sorry there was not an appropriate marketing campaign to let the world know about this one. We stumbled across it one evening with nothing better to do and decided to watch it as one more grade B disaster film. Boy were we surprised! This film deserves to be in the "hall of Fame" of great films but alas...not many know about it. For starters, this film leaves Black Swan in the dust from both an acting and a story line perspective. Just a wonderful movie that you will think about again and again...then go back and view again and keep thinking about it. That is the sign of a great movie in my book!

As someone who has suffered from pretty severe depression in the past, I do think that personal experience with how it works helps one to understand this film for what it is. There can certainly be other reasons for rating the film poorly (yes, it is pretentious and yes it is slow moving) but I think many viewers just didn't quite understand it. Not that you need to have experience with major depression to appreciate this film, but I do think it helps with regard to understanding the characters and the film as a whole. That said, this is not the type of film I would normally watch. I call these "artsy-fartsy" films. Truth be told, I had never seen a film anything like this before, and I put off watching it many times (when it first came out) because while it sounded kind of interesting, the negative reviews - and there are plenty of them everywhere - kept me away. While I spent the first 10 minutes or so (what seemed like an eternity, I admit) wondering why I was even watching this kind of movie, I did find myself interested enough to keep going. By the end, I was pretty convinced that Melancholia may have been one of the most artistically and beautifully presented films I had ever seen and it made me an instant fan of Lars Von Trier. It opened up a whole new genre for me and I have since found an appreciation for the "artsy-fartsy" films I used to make fun of.

This opens with a prologue in very, very, very slow motion that seems to last ages. If Zach Snyder (The Watchmen, 300) directed this movie people would immediately troll him on the internet. But this film gets a pass among film critics because Lars Von Trier, who is considered an auteur, directed this. It’s a story of two sisters facing the apocalypse and how they react to it. One gives in to her instinct and accepts the doom albeit in a very depressed fashion. The other sister denies the inevitable and relies on science to soothe her, and panics when faced with the truth. It has some very nice visuals that seem to be stills (maybe they where), recalling work by Tarsem Singh (The Fall, Immortals). The pacing is slow and deliberate, and picks up speed by the second sisters story. There are illogical and unrealistic situations in this film. The type of approaching apocalypse should have had killed everyone before it finally happened. The setting is also one of total isolation for the main characters in the film, although privileged and situated in a sprawling estate, there are no looters, rioters, crazies or any other sort of people in their sphere of existence. I’m guessing this is supposed to be one of those surreal movies. Nice but I’ll only recommend it to hardcore film buffs. I even had pricey craft beer and cheese with this, still didn’t do well with me.

Lars von Trier himself has said that this film is about depression, which is part of his own personality. Those who are anxious to preserve an optimistic and "positive" outlook on life might be wise to avoid it. But then there are those more inclined to agree with Thoreau's remark: "Be it life or death, we crave only reality." And from that point of view, this film is a masterpiece. It may seem odd to mention "reality" in connection with a story in which a science-fictional element plays a central part. In this film, "Melancholia" is not only an old-fashioned term for depression but also a planet (blue, of course) which has wandered into the solar system and, we are told, may or may not collide with Earth. In astrophysical terms, this is highly unlikely but not impossible. The main implausibility here is that nobody seems to have seen this planet coming years before, although it's much larger than Earth, because it was "behind the sun." But that's a relatively minor detail, not hard to suspend one's disbelief about. And that's worth doing, because the real focus of the story is the relationship between two sisters who respond in diametrically opposed ways to the situation presented by Melancholia. Justine (Kirsten Dunst) is the depressive sister, and the first half of the film deals with her struggle between a promising future (it's her wedding day) and the gravity that threatens to pull her into a black hole. Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is the more normal of the two. She sometimes hates her sister for spoiling the party, but also cares about Justine enough to recognize her condition as an illness and try to help her get over it. Both Dunst and Gainsbourg are superb in their roles, and the interplay between them (not to mention the other characters) is psychologically realistic to an almost painful degree. In the second half of the film, while Justine's inner melancholia is on the wane, the planet Melancholia becomes the dominant factor in the story, transforming the relationship between the sisters. And that, in my view, is what makes this film a masterpiece, because the sisters, without ceasing to be finely drawn individuals, represent (to me at least) two different but equally essential sides of human nature. Cinematically, this film is unusual in several ways. Most of the events and interactions of the story are shot in a quasi-documentary style with hand-held camera. Yet it's preceded by a long overture that foreshadows key elements of the story in extreme slow-motion images, accompanied by Wagnerian music (from the opera Tristan and Isolde). It's a combination of artistic Romanticism with realism that should not work, but for me only adds to the power of the film. Of three or four von Trier films i've seen, this is far and away the most engaging. The Blu-ray (i haven't seen the DVD version) includes a fairly short but illuminating extra in which von Trier, Gainsbourg, Dunst and a psychologist comment on the story. Other extras comment on the visual style and how the effects were created. The film certainly is beautiful (both picture and sound) in 1080p. The dialogue is all in English, but there's also a version dubbed into French as well as subtitles in both languages.

Achtung! Hier sind ein paar Spoiler enthalten. Lesen auf eigene Gefahr! Der Planet Melancholia rast auf die Erde zu und bereits in den ersten Minuten des Films sehen wir das Ende der blauen Kugel. Wie ein Staubkorn wird sie von einem Giganten zur Seite geschoben. Diese Eröffnungssequenz erinnert einen natürlich direkt an "Antichrist". Majestätische Bilder in Verbindung mit klassischer Musik, gab es dort schon einmal zu bewundern. Allerdings ist so etwas bei dieser Ästethik einfach nur wunderbar. Direkt zu Beginn saugt der Film einen dadurch in die Leinwand. Cut! Wir begleiten ein Brautpaar zu ihrer Hochzeitsfeier. Das Glück und die Heiterkeit währt allerdings nicht lange. Justine leidet an Depressionen, die Schubweise auch den eigentlich glücklichsten Tag ihres Lebens beeinflussen und letztendlich auch zerstören. Dieser von Lars von Trier als Teil 1 deklarierte Plot, bleibt die komplette Laufzeit auf der Hochzeit, die in Ansätzen an "Das Fest" erinnert. Ihre Verwandschaft ist bis auf ihre Schwester Claire nicht gerade traumhaft und auch Teile der übrigen Gäste mag man nicht unbedingt als Freunde haben. Dieser Part des Films wird wieder im Dogma Stil vorgetragen, was Gegnern der Home-Video-Wackel-Kamera absolut nicht zusagen wird. Eher dokumentarisch wohnt man den Gegebenheiten bei, die allerdings sehr viel Aufschluß über die Hauptpersonen geben. Wer also darauf hofft das Bruce Willis mit ein paar Sprengköpfen die Erde rettet, sollte von Melancholia weiten Abstand gewinnen. Dafür gibt es aber unglaublich einfühlsame und interessante Charaktere, die von Kirsten Dunst und Charlotte Gainsbourg phänomenal wiedergegeben werden. Auch der weitere Cast ist mit John Hurt, Charlotte Rampling, Kiefer Sutherland und Stellan Skarsgard unglaublich gut besetzt. Allerdings verlangt der komplette Part den Zuschauern einiges ab. Man muss konzentriert bleiben und sich auf die Geschehnisse einlassen. Hier steht nämlich keineswegs der bevorstehende Weltuntergang im Vordergrund, wobei auch hier fantastische Bilder serviert werden. Dies hat meist mit einer unglaublich starken Ausleuchtung der Sets zu tun, aber auch die brillanten Dialoge sorgen weiterhin für ungemeines Interesse. Sofern man etwas für Dialoge übrig hat. Der zweite Teil des Films, der vom Regisseur auch extra so betitelt wurde, löst den Dogma Stil ab und versprüht Ruhe. Ungemeine Ruhe. Die beiden Schwestern befinden sich auf dem Gelände des reichen Ehemanns von Claire. Nur ihr Sohn und ihr Mann ist noch anwesend. Langsam aber sicher beschäftigt man sich mit dem näher kommenden Planeten. Claire wird immer panischer und hat tiefergehende Angst, das Melancholia das Leben ihrer Familie auslöscht. Justine dagegen taut aus ihrer tiefen Depression langsam wieder auf und durch den bevorstehenden Tod kommt wieder Leben in sie. Zum ersten Mal bringt man sie mit Freude und Sehnsucht in Verbindung. Sehnsucht nach Melancholia. Die Charaktere der Schwestern tauschen langsam die Rolle, genau wie es bei der Kameraführung geschehen ist. Jetzt bereitet uns von Trier ein melancholisches Fest für die Sinne, bei dem ich unglaublich dankbar bin, dabei gewesen sein zu dürfen. Der Film ist ein unheimlicher Brocken, der nur schwer zu verdauen ist. Nach dem Film bin ich erstmal eine Kippe rauchen gegangen und schlenderte ziellos in der Kinogegend umher. Bei einem Italiener bestellte ich mir unbewußt einen Cognac, obwohl ich nur sehr selten Alkohol trinke. Möglicherweise um das Gesehene besser zu verdauen, aber da wird der Cognac nicht ausreichen. Ich schätze das ich Melancholia noch eine Zeit lang verarbeiten werde. Meine Verabeitung hat wirklich länger gedauert. Die Rezi hatte ich mal geschrieben, als ich aus dem Kino kam. Heute war die Zeitsichtung auf Blu Ray und der Film hat mich erneut absolut umgehauen. Das war nämlich für mich der einzige Punkt bei dem ich nicht sicher war. Begeistert er auch beim zweiten Mal? Für mich persönlich kann ich es uneingeschränkt bestätigen. Aber nicht nur um den Film mehrfach sehen zu können, lohnt sich der Kauf der Blu Ray. Die ist nämlich ebenfalls klasse. Das Bild wird man zwar wahrscheinlich nicht als Referenz einordnen, da es kein Mainstreamer ist, aber ich finde es sehr detailreich und ausgesprochen scharf. Die Kontraste sind absolut klasse und die Bildgewalt kommt in HD verdammt gut rüber. Aber auch in den überwiegend leiseren Sequenzen verschafft das Bild einem das Gefühl dabei zu sein. Der Ton ist ebenfalls ausgesprochen gut, wobei er etwas frontlastig ist. Dies passt aber absolut zum Film, da die Dialoge wichtiger sind als räumliche Effekte. Der Bass war an den wenigen brachialen Stellen aber ein wenig unsauber. Kann aber auch definitiv an meinem Hörraum gelegen haben. Neben der Deutschen ist natürlich auch die Englische Tonspur vorhanden, zu der man optional deutsche Untertitel hinzuschalten kann. Als Bonusmaterial gibt es neben den Trailern zum Film, noch 4 Featurettes die einige Interviews und auch Deutungen bereit halten. Die sind in jedem Fall sehr interessant und beinhalten nicht nur das obligatorische Schwärmen vom Set. Für Flatschengegner ist sogar ein Wendecover dabei. Somit ist das für mich eine absolut gelungene Veröffentlichung.

Film originale. Particolare e bello.

Sin duda alguna es de las mejores o la mejor película sobre Melancolía que hay, y la mejor de Lars Von Trier. Me encanta y me identifico actualmente con la protagonista y sus familiares.

I suppose it was pretty predictable how opinion would divide about the controversial Lars von Trier's (relatively uncontroversial) film. People will either love it or hate it. Those who are in thrall to Hollywood conventions of pace and narrative structure will not have the patience and stillness to absorb and relish this brooding meditation on madness and the end of the world. This is film as art, almost symphonic in conception, expressing complexes of thought and emotion that could never be communicated with words, or even images alone. It is a film about many things; madness and the paradoxical strength to be found at the bottom of despair; the fragility and irrationality of love; the absurdity of life in an insentient universe. It is also about the treacherously beautiful planet, Melancholia, which increasingly fills the sky as the intense but understated drama unwinds, until impact and near instant annihilation. This is not a science fiction or disaster movie; the planet is merely a device by which to explore the deepest human potentials of its characters, in otherwise inconceivable circumstances. The resulting film is a slow and majestic philosophical epic, on the theme of Schopenhaurian pessimism, in the spirit of Tarkovsky or Kubrick. I will never look at Kirsten Dunst, an actress I've never really taken much notice of before, in quite the same way again. Her characterisation of Justine, sister to Charlotte Gainsbourg's Claire, and her descent into severe depressive illness, and then fragile but timely reintegration in the face of cosmic catastrophe, is a lifetime achievement, and it is no surprise she took best actress at Cannes. Kiefer Sutherland as Claire's uptight, somewhat pompous, but essentially decent husband, John, is also magnetic, his presence being felt as much through the spaces he leaves for the sisters. Another star is the magnificent Swedish castle of Tjolöhom and its grounds, which provides the basis of the sumptuous cinematography, which at times verges on the painterly, reminiscent perhaps of the German Romantic, Caspar David Friedrich. Another key ingredient is the extensive use throughout of Wagner's transcendentally beautiful prelude to Tristan and Isolde, rather in the way that Visconti used the Adagio from Mahler's 5th for Death in Venice. My guess is that many of those who didn't respond well to the film might well have taken exception to this music, which is not just used as emotional filler, but as an integral component in the film's narrative flow. By all accounts Trier is not the most pleasant of people, and seems to wilfully court controversy and misunderstanding. Nonetheless, a mind capable of conceiving this work of bleak, enigmatic genius, must have some nobility hidden somewhere in his soul.