One of the world’s great ironies is the way that deep sadness can inspire true beauty. There have been great paintings have been inspired by the views from sanitarium windows. Likewise, great poets and authors have expressed their dark desires with such eloquent words. It might be that we experience this beauty and are moved strictly on its own merit, or it might be that somehow we find ourselves relieved that this pain is not ours, and that we are lucky to have the happiness in life that we do. Whatever the reason, sorrow continues to inspire great art…and where the art of filmmaking is concerned, it’s difficult to name a more beautiful film about pain and sorrow than MELANCHOLIA.

MELANCHOLIA is a film in two parts.

In the first chapter, titled “Justine” we met a couple on their wedding day. Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgård) are late to their own reception being thrown by Justine’s sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and brother-in-law John (Kiefer Sutherland). Their tardiness is just the first domino, as the day becomes a continuing embarrassment. Between Justine’s mother Gaby voicing her disapproval, and Justine herself unsuccessfully staving off her depression, the tension at the sprawling estate is palpable. One wonders if any amount of gourmet food or stately expanse could possibly compensate for such a sad state of affairs.

The second chapter, titled “Claire”, is set some time after the wedding. Justine is now living with John, Claire and their son Leo. Sadly, she is in such severe depression that she cannot eat or bathe without Claire’s help. As Justine walks the slow road back to normalcy, we are witness to a celestial phenomenon. A rogue planet named Melancholia is drifting towards earth. John, a noted astronomer, insists that the world’s leading scientists have determined that the planet will simply drift past earth in a glorious cosmic event called a ‘fly-by’. Claire however remains worried that the conspiracy theorists should be believed, and that Melancholia and Earth are doomed to collide.

At the core of MELANCHOLIA is the sadness we feel but try to hide. With each passing year, it seems like more and more people struggle with depression. This isn’t happening because life has become more stressful over time, it’s only happening because we are now able to recognize it in each other and in ourselves. Justine knows how messed up she feels, but wants to soldier on with her extravagant day anyway. Perhaps she wants to show Michael how much she loves him…perhaps she wants to be a princess for a day…perhaps she’s jut doing it all to prove something to herself. Whatever the reason, it’s clear before dessert is even served that she is in over her head, and the depression she feels inside will win the day.

In a clever way, the effort that Justine is putting into enjoying her day is illustrated in how she and Michael get detained in the middle of it. After the film’s introduction, we see Michael and Justine in their wedding limo approaching the reception. However, the stretch car is having trouble navigating the windy country road that leads up to John’s estate. That doesn’t stop the driver, Justine, and Michael from trying to make it work. They spend immense amounts of time trying to maneuver , manipulate, and muscle their way through. Inevitably, like so many fighting depression, there is no way to navigate the comfortable ride up the windy road: The only way to get there is the long, slow walk.

Like that lush wedding that celebrates a very broken woman, MELANCHOLIA is a stunning film that celebrates some very broken people. It daringly begins by showing its hand and telling you how it all will end – however, as it does so it uses a camera technique that can slow even the slightest of facial twitches down to a crawl. This technique is part of the tip-off, since the story of MELANCHOLIA is in no hurry to get to where it’s going. The narrative is dotted time after time with moments of quiet introspection, which drive home how screwed up these characters are and test the audience’s patience.

However, that test is designed to draw you deeper into The Ballad of Justine. It’s clear that she needs someone in her life to lean on, be it Michael or be it Claire. Whoever gets the honour of being Justine’s pillar of strength has to find all the patience they can muster, which is something not many of us possess. So indeed, one might watch this movie and get restless as Justine spends so much time wander the golf course on her wedding night…but for those who are going to deal with such depression in their loved ones, they have to push past that feeling of restlessness and come up with an equal measure of steadfastness.

I dare say that many people will be turned off by MELANCHOLIA. Its point is vague, its narrative is deliberate, and its characters are deeply unsympathetic. However, in sound, scope, and scale, MELANCHOLIA is a film that should be appreciated if not necessarily enjoyed (and there are moments within this film that I promise will not play the same on blu-ray). The story has an uphill climb built right into it: after all, when one is in the room with someone so clearly broken, the tendency is to leave the room – not settle in and listen to them cry for over two hours. However, there is inherent beauty in this story’s melancholy and infinite sadness, and it can only be appreciated if we get out of the luxury car and take the long walk with it.

Matineescore: ★ ★ ★ out of ★ ★ ★ ★
What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions on MELANCHOLIA.

15 Replies to “MELANCHOLIA”

  1. You want my thoughts on Hugo? Confused.

    I loved Melancholia. Definitely not a Von trier fan but I thought this was terrific.

    1. That’s what happens when I start thinking about one film when writing about another – fixed now.

      Wasn’t sure MELANCHOLIA would play in your neck of the woods – got yourself a decent art house theatre now?

      1. I always forget about iTunes. Surprised that it worked for you playing on your notebook. I swore up and down that this was a film that was going to frutrate people trying to watch it at home because it would lose its grandiose quality.

        You weren’t…like…grading papers while watching it, were you?

  2. Its point is vague? I’m sorry, sir, this is a lovely written review, but I can’t agree with that one. Von Trier is anything but vague. “The Earth is evil.” That’s what Justine says! Out loud!

    I get how in part its an epic tone poem to depression but then von Trier can’t resist stating outright that the “Earth is evil”, that it deserves to be blown up, and re-hammering home his incessant nihilism.

    This film might be genius, but it also pisses me off.

    1. She does indeed say that – but she’s an unreliable narrator given how fucked-up she is. She does a lot of things in an effort to feel something, but can we always take her intentions at face value?

      If LVT’s theory is that the whole place is eveil and needs to go, he hasn’t given me anything in the rest of the film to underline that. He’s shown me broken people, not evil people. These characters all need some heavy therapy and a bit of a kick in the ass, but they don’t deserve to die.

      I do know what you mean about the piss-off though. It can feel meandering and muddled…

      …but fuck, is it ever pretty to look at!

      1. I tend to think there is a very, very, very thin line between broken and evil in Lars Land, if there’s even a line at all. I felt the wedding was his illustration of the needed elimination of the world. Everyone was greedy and selfish and clueless and her mom? The mom WAS evil. I mean, come on, she was arguing against marriage in front of everyone at her own daughter’s wedding!

        But to be fair (unfair?), I’m a bit distrustful of von Trier to begin with. Watching his films I always feel as if I’m on a rug which he’s just sinisterly waiting to pull out from under me.

        1. The mom was pretty deplorable, thankfully she’s not around for the second act. Yeah – that is pretty evil, especially when you know your daughter is already pretty screwed up.

          Your comment regarding LVT is a good point, but I think that comes down to mixing up the singer with the song. I haven’t seen enough Lars to formulate an opinion, but this time around I think he’s playing things a bit straighter.

  3. I totally agree with this review. But that ending…wow. Those were some epic sound effects, I literally did feel like the planet was coming for me!

    1. A few days before I saw the film, Sasha James, Corey Atad and my wife were discussing the use of sound in this film and how impressed I’d be with it. Sorta wish I hadn’t been privvy to that conversation, because as I kept waiting for this “amazing moment of sound” it started to dawn on me that it would come at the very end.

  4. I loved the look and feel of this film, and Dunst is definitely hitting it out of the park with this one.

    My major problem with the film was all the plot holes though, I know I know, Von Trier doesn’t just lay it all out there, but some stuff really bugged me. Like, what did Gaingsbourg say to Skarsgård at the wedding that got him so upset. Why were they even getting married? I guess another viewing is needed to make it more clear.

    1. I haven’t the first clue what Claire said to Michael that got him worked up…that’s something I’ll have to look for on rewatch.

      As for why they were even getting married, I think they were just too far down the road to bail out. I’ve been at a wedding where I later found out that the couple didn’t even spend the wedding night together, and that they split-up just nine months later. Sometimes, you just gotta go through with it and pick up the pieces later.

  5. Excellent review, I felt much the same way as I watched it. It’s not an easy film to sit through but it touches equally upon infinite beauty and sadness, and struck a chord with me as I was reminded of people in my own life who have struggled with depression and anxiety. This was my first von Trier film and now I’m finally ready to see a few of his others. (No ANTICHRIST though, ugh.)

    1. Thanks for the comment dude! My mind started drifting towards people I know who struggle with depression too (which seems to be growing with every passing year). And this wasn’t my first Von Trier film (that honour goes to DOGVILLE), but I am curious to dig into more…even the notorious ANTICHRIST.

      When you have some time, you should give the newest podcast episode a listen…we talk about this film a little further.

  6. I pretty took Melancholia at face value. About two sister, one has serious issues with depression and the other one is always in control. There is a wedding involved with the depressed sister in the first half and the second half is about the planet crashing down the earth and how both of them dealing with it.

    There are glorious moments especially the wedding from hell (I have to attend a wedding like this). I am not sure if everything adds up in the end, but then again I don’t think that’s what LVT wants anyway.

    If I am not mistaken, he wrote both ANTICHRIST and MELANCHOLIA when he was in a state of depression, which would explain a lot.

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