Melancholia (2011)

Directed by: Lars von Trier | 130 minutes | drama, thriller, science fiction | Actors: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Alexander Skarsgård, Stellan Skarsgrd, Brady Corbet, Udo Kier, Jesper Christensen, Cameron Spurr, Deborah Fronko

As a cinema enthusiast, don’t you like the genre of ‘disaster films’, which usually involve an extraordinary amount of spectacle, violence, blood and death? ‘Melancholia’ by Lars von Trier also has a disaster as its theme, but in a very special and different version. Almost romantic and absolutely subtle, supported by music by Wagner, the end of time is announced.

‘Melancholia’ opens with a sublime overture, in which the depressed Justine (strong role by Kirsten Dunst) has a vision of the approaching end in a sort of magical-realistic setting as in the paintings of Carel Willink. Birds fall dead from the sky, a horse falls, it is clear that disaster is imminent.

In the film that follows, the story is divided into two parts. We follow two sisters to the bitter end; Justine and Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg). It’s Justine’s wedding day. Bride and groom Michael (Alexander Skarsgård) are stuck in a narrow and winding driveway in their extended limousine on their way to the party. Justine seems cheerful and fun reigns over the bizarre situation. A few hours late, they arrive at her sister’s palatial mansion. Friends and family have been waiting there for several hours. As they enter the house, Justine sees a striking star.

Her sister Claire and her wealthy husband John (Kiefer Sutherland) have organized a grand wedding party. That party develops in a bizarre way, a bit like in the famous Dogma film ‘Festen’ by Thomas Vinterberg. Despite the valiant efforts of the master of ceremonies and her sister and brother-in-law, the party does not want to (or may?) become a party. The sisters’ parents, Dexter (John Hurt) and Gaby (Charlotte Rampling), are divorced and begin verbally beating each other in their speech at dinner (some more nuances would have been appropriate in the elaboration, their performance is almost over the top now).

Justine herself regularly withdraws from those festivities, everyone – including groom Michael – waits embarrassed. It is obvious that it is not a party for her at all, her depression controls her behavior. Her behavior becomes more and more extreme, the party ends disastrously… The groom is shocked and does not yet know what else to expect….Claire feels cheated by Justine, reproaches fall and the bond between the two sisters comes under great pressure .

In part 2 we follow the developments after the wedding until ‘the end of time’. Justine sinks deeper and deeper into her depression, Claire takes care of her lovingly. In the developments the emphasis is increasingly on the approaching disaster that threatens to be caused by the approaching planet Melancholia. According to calculations, it threatens to collide with the earth, which would end all life. Claire’s husband John has calculated that the planet will not hit Earth, but is making new calculations. All positive thoughts turn to despair.

The way in which the sisters react differently to the developments is intriguing. Claire, married, son, has everything her heart desires and – unlike the depressed Justine – has everything to lose. Claire is near despair. She literally sees her world collapse and panics. Justine reacts calmly through her earlier visions and has grown in her acceptance of the inevitable. She sees fate in great peace of mind and becomes stronger as a result.

Von Trier has gathered a large star cast for his film. Kirsten Dunst received the Prize for the Best Actress in Cannes 2011 for her portrayal of Justine. Due to the length of the film, developments drag on at a few moments (the end of time should not come too soon, by the way). .

The events are worked out in a sublime, if somewhat melancholy, psychodrama. The story focuses solely on the psychological effects, disaster scenes and accompanying actions are missing. Cinematographically, it is all very pleasing to the eye and Wagner’s music only contributes to an almost sacred atmosphere. ‘Melancholia’ is aesthetically pleasing cinema at its best!