Rating: 
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Release date(s): 18 May 2011 (Cannes Film Festival), 26 May 2011 (Denmark), 11 November 2011 (USA)
Running time: 130 minutes
First things first, Melancholia is a movie not for everybody, not many would find the 130 odd minutes of the movie worth, because the movie is about holocaust and still it just focuses on the life of two sisters and some more who are involved with them. I was hooked on to the screen and just loved what the director Lars von Trier tried to depict in the movie.
The movie is divided into two parts and it tells the story of two sisters Justine and Claire. But before this, when the movie begins a prologue or what I thought was the dream of Justine shows us some really hard-hitting frames of the earth being destroyed, where roots have been uprooted, the earth has become so soft that when one walks on it, it actually sinks, birds falling from the sky and then finally the earth being destroyed. These visuals speak a lot when the movie progresses.
The story of Justine starts from her weeding day. She has got married to a very loving man named Michael. The man loves her to the core and so does the sister Claire and that is the reason why Claire and her husband who is also the best-man to Michael throw a very lavish party. But Justine seems to be unhappy and she just cannot part from her negative feelings. And one has to understand the character of Justine to actually understand why she cannot shake off her feelings.
Justine on her wedding day, just before she needs to cut the wedding cake goes and takes a bath, pees in the open garden and then finally has sex in the open golf course with the newly hired man in her firm who is behind her to get a tagline for some product. And then finally her new husband leaves her on the same day, and we move on to Claire’s story.
Claire is a happy homemaker who lives in a dream like home, has a loving and caring husband and a very sweet son. But she is scared from one thing and that is Melancholia, well Melancholia is nothing but a planet that has passed many planets and is going to pass through planet earth too. And her husband is confident of what the scientists have said that the planet will just pass by and will not hit the earth. But as we know the doomsday predictors have predicted the opposite and Claire is scared not only for herself but all of her family.
Then enters Justine who for some reason and that has to be her depression is very weak and cannot even walk come to their home. She barely can talk and Claire takes care of her, bathes her, and feeds her. Then the doomsday begins to scare Claire and Justine is of the opinion that the world would end soon and the reason is that she knows this. The way the climax has been built up is supreme and the viewers just cannot predict the way it will end.
Lars von Trier’s Melancholia has to do a lot with sympathy, frustration and sorrow. And as viewers the movie can be a over-dosage of sympathy, frustration and sorrow. One has to understand the characters of the sisters to understand the film, and one you do that the movie is just breath-taking.
Lars von Trier is a visionary director who loves characters that face depression and no one depicts depression like he does. The screenplay is also bang-on and never deviates the audience into something it has no connection with.
This is one of Lars Von Trier’s best film I have seen and I am privileged to have seen it on the silver screen.
And a final note on the movie, the film is just extremely beautifully shot. Lars von Trier and cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro have gone ahead and done one of the most fantastic job in making the visuals so alluring and real and still very surreal. The attention paid to the detailing is just magical and the special effects are too good. Melancholia’s Cinematography is surely worth an Oscar nomination.
There is a fine merge of intimate shots and across-the-board descriptions, and great thought to feature. The effects engaged by Melancholia are as well first-rate.
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Release date(s): 18 May 2011 (Cannes Film Festival), 26 May 2011 (Denmark), 11 November 2011 (USA)
Running time: 130 minutes
| Starring | Kirsten Dunst as Justine, Charlotte Gainsbourg as Claire, Kiefer Sutherland as John, Alexander Skarsgård as Michael, Cameron Spurr as Leo, Charlotte Rampling as Gaby, John Hurt as Dexter, Jesper Christensen as Little Father, Stellan Skarsgård as Jack |
| Directed by | Lars von Trier |
| Produced by | Meta Louise Foldager, Louise Vesth |
| Written by | Lars von Trier |
| Cinematography | Manuel Alberto Claro |
Quicktake:
When I was standing in the queue for this movie, many passed by me and asked why are you standing for this movie, it is just 5: 45pm and the movie is supposed to begin at 8: 15pm. But I stood there and so were many others including Ranvir Shorey who was standing there much before me. So when we went inside the sreen, I just hoped the movie better be worth the wait. So was it worth the wait, well read the review to know more about the movie.
Plot Review:
Melancholia is a heart-wrenchingly acute depiction of depression.First things first, Melancholia is a movie not for everybody, not many would find the 130 odd minutes of the movie worth, because the movie is about holocaust and still it just focuses on the life of two sisters and some more who are involved with them. I was hooked on to the screen and just loved what the director Lars von Trier tried to depict in the movie.
The movie is divided into two parts and it tells the story of two sisters Justine and Claire. But before this, when the movie begins a prologue or what I thought was the dream of Justine shows us some really hard-hitting frames of the earth being destroyed, where roots have been uprooted, the earth has become so soft that when one walks on it, it actually sinks, birds falling from the sky and then finally the earth being destroyed. These visuals speak a lot when the movie progresses.
The story of Justine starts from her weeding day. She has got married to a very loving man named Michael. The man loves her to the core and so does the sister Claire and that is the reason why Claire and her husband who is also the best-man to Michael throw a very lavish party. But Justine seems to be unhappy and she just cannot part from her negative feelings. And one has to understand the character of Justine to actually understand why she cannot shake off her feelings.
Claire is a happy homemaker who lives in a dream like home, has a loving and caring husband and a very sweet son. But she is scared from one thing and that is Melancholia, well Melancholia is nothing but a planet that has passed many planets and is going to pass through planet earth too. And her husband is confident of what the scientists have said that the planet will just pass by and will not hit the earth. But as we know the doomsday predictors have predicted the opposite and Claire is scared not only for herself but all of her family.
Then enters Justine who for some reason and that has to be her depression is very weak and cannot even walk come to their home. She barely can talk and Claire takes care of her, bathes her, and feeds her. Then the doomsday begins to scare Claire and Justine is of the opinion that the world would end soon and the reason is that she knows this. The way the climax has been built up is supreme and the viewers just cannot predict the way it will end.
Lars von Trier’s Melancholia has to do a lot with sympathy, frustration and sorrow. And as viewers the movie can be a over-dosage of sympathy, frustration and sorrow. One has to understand the characters of the sisters to understand the film, and one you do that the movie is just breath-taking.
Direction and Screenplay Review:
Lars von Trier’s Melancholia is much more better than his last effort Antichrist, Antichrist was again a movie for those who can understand it. And I quite liked it but Mealncholia is much more conventional than Antichrist and still one complains of being unconventional.
Lars von Trier is a visionary director who loves characters that face depression and no one depicts depression like he does. The screenplay is also bang-on and never deviates the audience into something it has no connection with.
This is one of Lars Von Trier’s best film I have seen and I am privileged to have seen it on the silver screen.
Acting Review:
This is Kirsten Dunst best performance to date as Justine. She is just so convincing throughout the film. Her character hardly goes though any transformation and as a character needs to be it isn’t. It would have been challenging to be in the shoes of Justine. But Kirsten justifies her Best Actress award at the Cannes. Charlotte Gainsbourg is also perfect as Claire, and a very good support is offered from Alexander Skarsgård, Keifer Sutherland and John Hurt.
Verdict:
Melancholia is very different kind of movie and if audienes are expecting some science fition flick looking at the trailer, please the movie can be a heavy-going for you, as the subjet of the movie is very unconventional. However leaving all this the movie is just incredibly worthwhile watch. And no other experience would be as good as watching this movie once more and surely with an audience like what I had during the MAMI. I know that wouldn’t be possible but still the experience that I had, was just supreme.And a final note on the movie, the film is just extremely beautifully shot. Lars von Trier and cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro have gone ahead and done one of the most fantastic job in making the visuals so alluring and real and still very surreal. The attention paid to the detailing is just magical and the special effects are too good. Melancholia’s Cinematography is surely worth an Oscar nomination.
There is a fine merge of intimate shots and across-the-board descriptions, and great thought to feature. The effects engaged by Melancholia are as well first-rate.
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