Melancholia
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgaard, Charlotte Gainsbourg
Director: Lars von Trier
Not sure about the wisdom of releasing a film about the end of the world just before Christmas...
This latest from Lars von Trier is a sumptuous piece where to be
frank, very little happens but everything is affected.
Centring on Kirsten Dunst's depressed Justine's wedding day, the
film sees her starting the day in a good mood and sliding into a
depression as the night goes on-despite being wed to True Blood's
Alexander Skarsgard.
It then switches to after the wedding where there's more of a
period of gloom around - thanks to the fact a planet called
Melancholia is passing by the earth - and with some fearing it'll
hit, you've got cosmic fears on a very personal level as the level
of doom rises on an ultimate scale.
From the opening sequences which are gorgeous eye candy - some of
the best ever committed to celluloid - and which set a mood of
uncertainty, Melancholia is a sumptuous experience (which
admittedly some may find hollow).
But it's a mesmerizing and divisive watch - much like Tree of Life
earlier this year was.
Dunst seriously impresses, providing her best work as the depressed
bride who rallies when the end of the world comes - but equally as
good is Charlotte Gainsbourg as her sister who's helpless to save
her and who's futile attempts to try and save their already
strained relationship.
As it leads to a downbeat ending which blows you out of your seat,
this is a mind-blowing film.
