Melancholia (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Ohh, Kirsten Dunst. Aside from Interview with a Vampire, Drop Dead Gorgeous & Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the actress continues to take part in films that slightly underwhelm me. In this case, it's 'Melancholia'. She is good, here. But under Lars von Trier's tutelage, it feels disingenuous to praise her. The film opens with a standard Lars von Trier opening prologue. I remember enjoying his last film's (Antichrist) prologue, & this is no different. The 1st image we see is of a miserable looking Dunst staring into the screen with birds falling from the sky behind her. This clues us in to her mental state. We then witness a host of gorgeous slo-mo images (set to classical music, as usual with him) of 2 planets colliding, Dunst running, her sister running, & the end of the world seeming apparent. The name of the planet crashing into Earth (in this prologue) is 'Melancholia'. And that term can also be used to describe the Dunst character's mood throughout proceedings.
But let's backtrack a bit to before events of the Prologue occur. The encroaching apocalypse is shown through the eyes of two said sisters, the mercurial Justine (Dunst), & the more mature, grounded Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg, excellent in von Trier's Antichrist). Justine has just married Michael (Alexander Skarsgard), & Claire has arranged the wedding reception on her wealthy estate. Despite appearing cheerful to her friends & fiancee, Justine is clearly depressed. Crippled by it, actually; as she wanders in & out of her beautiful reception (in a series of odd vignettes). The narrative picks up sometime after the fiasco-ridden reception. And, oddly enough, as the planet cataclysm approaches, Justine finally starts to find peace with herself. Claire, on the other hand, begins to 'lose it' as it becomes clearer that the planet-ending collision can't be avoided. Tensions arise, relationships fray, & tragedy strikes.
Visually, 'Melancholia' is very intriguing (von Trier films always are). The photography, use of super slo-mo, sumptuous locales & bombastic music are significant. Acting-wise, Dunst impresses (intermittently). Charlotte Gainsbourg is great (scary, at times). Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Sarsgard, John Hurt, Charlotte Rampling, et al are all fine. But stylistically, von Trier goes a tad over-indulgent with his visual tricks; as well as with the bloated wedding reception (which I enjoyed until it outstayed its welcome). Thematically, 'Melancholia' seems to want to explore how individuals in separate states of mind react in the face of certain death. We see that morbidly depressed Justine almost welcomes 'the end', while normal-headed Claire is the one who loses her mind in the face of it. But ... can we blame the Claire character? I feel like the film is trying to show us something that is already clearly in front us. It's all obvious.
So I found it difficult to care about Justine's inner struggle or Claire's eventual collapse. By the way, because I know - 1st hand - how crippling depression can be, I found Dunst's portrayal of 'smiling through the pain' to be somewhat false. If we're led to believe she's as bad as she is, then she NEVER would have been able to pull-off a wedding -- but I digress. Claire obviously has anxiety issues surrounding the approaching planet; though her scientist husband (Sutherland) assures their safety. Because we literally see all of this, I don't quite know what von Trier was trying to "say". You don't make an art film like this without trying to make a point. I would have liked to see some context/background on the depression/anxiety of the two sisters (and by the way, Justine is a natural blonde with an American accent, Claire has dark hair with a British accent. They share no similar traits, whatsoever. And they're sisters???).
I appreciate the raw spectrum of emotions that the sisters exhibit during in the film's powerful final moments. But because we don't know anything about them (they're more like well-acted caricatures than full-bodied characters) & because everything about this film is so on-the-nose literal, I was left unmoved. Some of their actions are inexplicable. And the last shot of the film - as visceral as it is - is so conclusive, that you're left to wonder what the point of having sat through the last 130 min. was -- don't even get me started on how implausible it is for a rogue planet to plow through the solar system, & for Earth to not feel those gravitational effects until the final day. You know, I usually like solemn films about unhappy people {haha}. But there's little to take away from the doom & gloom; whereas that may not be the case with a superior film. The pros only slightly outweigh the cons for me.
But let's backtrack a bit to before events of the Prologue occur. The encroaching apocalypse is shown through the eyes of two said sisters, the mercurial Justine (Dunst), & the more mature, grounded Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg, excellent in von Trier's Antichrist). Justine has just married Michael (Alexander Skarsgard), & Claire has arranged the wedding reception on her wealthy estate. Despite appearing cheerful to her friends & fiancee, Justine is clearly depressed. Crippled by it, actually; as she wanders in & out of her beautiful reception (in a series of odd vignettes). The narrative picks up sometime after the fiasco-ridden reception. And, oddly enough, as the planet cataclysm approaches, Justine finally starts to find peace with herself. Claire, on the other hand, begins to 'lose it' as it becomes clearer that the planet-ending collision can't be avoided. Tensions arise, relationships fray, & tragedy strikes.
Visually, 'Melancholia' is very intriguing (von Trier films always are). The photography, use of super slo-mo, sumptuous locales & bombastic music are significant. Acting-wise, Dunst impresses (intermittently). Charlotte Gainsbourg is great (scary, at times). Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Sarsgard, John Hurt, Charlotte Rampling, et al are all fine. But stylistically, von Trier goes a tad over-indulgent with his visual tricks; as well as with the bloated wedding reception (which I enjoyed until it outstayed its welcome). Thematically, 'Melancholia' seems to want to explore how individuals in separate states of mind react in the face of certain death. We see that morbidly depressed Justine almost welcomes 'the end', while normal-headed Claire is the one who loses her mind in the face of it. But ... can we blame the Claire character? I feel like the film is trying to show us something that is already clearly in front us. It's all obvious.
So I found it difficult to care about Justine's inner struggle or Claire's eventual collapse. By the way, because I know - 1st hand - how crippling depression can be, I found Dunst's portrayal of 'smiling through the pain' to be somewhat false. If we're led to believe she's as bad as she is, then she NEVER would have been able to pull-off a wedding -- but I digress. Claire obviously has anxiety issues surrounding the approaching planet; though her scientist husband (Sutherland) assures their safety. Because we literally see all of this, I don't quite know what von Trier was trying to "say". You don't make an art film like this without trying to make a point. I would have liked to see some context/background on the depression/anxiety of the two sisters (and by the way, Justine is a natural blonde with an American accent, Claire has dark hair with a British accent. They share no similar traits, whatsoever. And they're sisters???).
I appreciate the raw spectrum of emotions that the sisters exhibit during in the film's powerful final moments. But because we don't know anything about them (they're more like well-acted caricatures than full-bodied characters) & because everything about this film is so on-the-nose literal, I was left unmoved. Some of their actions are inexplicable. And the last shot of the film - as visceral as it is - is so conclusive, that you're left to wonder what the point of having sat through the last 130 min. was -- don't even get me started on how implausible it is for a rogue planet to plow through the solar system, & for Earth to not feel those gravitational effects until the final day. You know, I usually like solemn films about unhappy people {haha}. But there's little to take away from the doom & gloom; whereas that may not be the case with a superior film. The pros only slightly outweigh the cons for me.