Melancholia is a Beautiful Disaster
Heather Hardison, Ph.D.
I attended the Memphis Indie Film Festival in November 2011,
and one of the most talked about and anticipated films was Melancholia starring
Kirsten Dunst, Alexander Skarsgard, Kiefer Sutherland and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
I was not able to see it at that time since it debuted the day after I attended
the festival, but I have been wanting to see it ever since. I found the trailer
and poster intriguing, and the idea of witnessing the characters’ reactions to
facing the end of the world was compelling to me on a psychological level. Given
the film’s storyline, I assumed that I would find it more captivating than I
did. I am drawn to films that chronicle the human condition; therefore, this concept
seemed very promising initially. I believe the excruciatingly slow pace of the
movie killed any excitement I had leading into this viewing. This dramatic sci
fi thriller written and directed by Lars von Trier clocks in at a whopping 2
hours and 16 minutes, but it felt like it drug on for 4 hours. This film needed
some major attention from the film editor to make the film more tolerable, and
I was begging for the movie to come to a close about an hour into it.
The story unfolds too slowly without even a hint or explanation about what is actually
occurring in the world or within the character’s minds; so I found myself
feeling quite lost throughout the first hour of the film. I did something that
I never do, and I cheated by looking up the plot on imdb while watching the
film to help give me some idea of what I was watching. I usually like to go
into a movie without too much knowledge about what happens and without seeing
too many detailed trailers because it ruins the buildup for me, but with this
film I just felt like I was missing some important piece to the puzzle right
off the bat. There were numerous times throughout Part 1 that I was tempted to
abandon the film due to frustration. I was very glad that I was screening this
movie in my own theater because I was pretty vocal with my frustration over Part
1. If I had been in a movie theater I would have most likely walked out. From
reading other reviews, it appears that many struggled over whether to abandon
the film or try to stick it out through those torturous long scenes that didn’t
amount to anything; so at least I wasn’t alone in that regard.
The film is presented in two parts. During the first segment
we attend the wedding of Justine and Michael (Dunst and Skarsgarrd), and we
notice right away that Justine is suffering from some sort of clinical disorder.
She leaves the reception multiple times to wander off onto the golf course, to
take a nap upstairs, and soak in a bath, all while her wedding guests are
waiting on her to return to cut the cake. We are even introduced to her
neurotic mother, which gives us an idea of the mental instability that runs in
this family. Justine’s mental state starts to decompensate more as the film
progresses.
She ends up sleeping with a stranger on the golf course on her
wedding night, and her new husband leaves her at the end of the reception
stating that “things could have been very different.” In a very cryptic way
Justine replies, “Yes, Michael they could have been, What did you expect?” We are not sure what any of this means
in relation to the developing story. In fact, there are several unanswered questions
that I’m still wondering about. Why did Justine desperately need to talk to her
father after the wedding reception and what was the reason for Justine to open
all those art books to display them on the shelves in the study? I was sure at
the time that this would come up again at the end of the movie and have some
symbolic meaning based on the specific images that she chose to display from
the books, but I never saw any clues to that hidden meaning.
And why was John
repeatedly asking people how many holes they had on their golf course? I think
there was a shot at the end where Claire is running on the 19th hole,
which seemed pretty random. I’m still not sure if the beginning sequence really
happened or was a premonition that Justine had about what was to come. There
were scenes in the beginning where they all wore different clothes from the
last scene; so it seems that all of these scenes did not actually take place in
reality. Surely all of these small details fit in to the mysterious plot
somehow, but I must have missed the significance along the way.
We aren’t let in on the secret of what is really happening until
Part 2 of the film, and by then most of the audience has probably either walked
out or become so frustrated with the film that there is no way to salvage any
interest whatsoever. Mr. von Trier must not buy in to the notion of grabbing the
audience’s interest right away to keep them engaged. Normally, I’m ok with a
slow beginning, if I know it is going to lead somewhere meaningful, but with this
film I had no assurance that would happen; so it felt like it was a huge waste
of time.
There were a few features of the film that delivered. Kirsten
Dunst’s performance was stellar as the young bride that is battling a severe
case of clinical depression that left her lifeless during some intense scenes.
The heaviness of these moments was spot on with the depiction of how draining severe
clinical depression can be. From the dialogue between Justine and Claire we get
the notion that Justine has chronic depression and “makes scenes” during her
most severe episodes. Claire reminds Justine on her wedding day that she promised
not to make a scene at the wedding reception that Claire worked so hard to
arrange, but it appears that their neurotic mother’s dramatic outburst at the
dinner table about how she doesn’t even believe in marriage has triggered
Justine’s mood to decline rapidly. She regresses the rest of the night into an
almost catatonic depressive state by being almost unresponsive during a nap on
her nephew’s bed and appearing lifeless in the bath. We are not sure at this
time if there is anything specifically depressing or worrying Justine on this
day. It may just be that this is a chronic condition, which could be worsened
by the added stress of the wedding. We are not aware if she knows about the
impending doom that is heading for Earth. The level of depression depicted in
this film is so debilitating that Justine’s character would be a good candidate
for Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). It’s a mystery how she even manages to
make it through the day.
In part 2 Justine’s depression worsens, and she comes to
stay with her sister, Claire, and her husband, John in a stunning mansion in
the countryside. Here, they are isolated from civilization, and they have a
front row seat for the looming disaster that will bring about the end of the
world. We finally learn that a planet called Melancholia has been hiding behind
the Sun, unseen for years, and is suddenly heading for a collision with Earth.
The characters in this film only have a few days notice of this doomsday event,
and the second part of this film features their reactions to the approaching
planet that will bring about the end of their existence and the world around
them. Fear takes over, and as the seconds tick down to the collision, Claire
loses her composure, and Justine reveals that she “knows things about the
world” and has known that this would not end well for quite some time. After
this revelation, Justine suddenly appears calmer and more rational than either
Claire or John. Claire’s husband, John who assured Claire that it would be a
near miss instead of a collision ends up taking the easy way out once he
realizes that Melancholia will in fact wipe the Earth out. He disappears and
Claire later finds him in the horse stables dead, as he took her sleeping pills
to overdose so that he wouldn’t have to endure the catastrophe with the rest of
his family.
When Claire finds her deceased husband, she starts to really panic. It appears that part of
her is realizing that there may be no hope left, and another part of her
desperately tries to run from her fate in a very intense scene where she tries
to escape with her son amidst a violent hail storm on the golf course. She
finally comes to the realization that nothing can be done and breaks down
emotionally. As Claire becomes unable to cope with the magnitude of the
situation, Justine puts on a strong face for her nephew, Leo, and attempts to
calm his fears by offering to build a magical cave that will "protect" them from
harm.
I certainly appreciated the idea of this story, especially
given that 2012 is full of many conspiracy theories chocked full of feared
cataclysmic events that many fear will bring about destruction of the world. Thus,
the concept of the film works for me, but the flaw occurs with the pacing of
the film and the extent of the mysterious events that span too much of the film
and are never fully explained. If we had been given more information earlier in
the film, I think this film could have given us a chance to be captivated by the
developing story. Instead, I felt frustrated and bored very early on. Combine
that with the frustration of getting nowhere by the halfway mark and that
equals a missed opportunity in my eyes. I usually like to watch movies at least
twice when reviewing them, but I don’t think I could sit through this movie
again unless I skipped those dull, silent moments that are peppered throughout
the entirety of the film.
I did appreciate the parallelism of the planet name, Melancholia, and Justine’s
depression, which I found very apropos. Although she certainly suffers from a
much more intense disorder than benign melancholy, but it was a nice tie in. An
interesting development in the story occurred as the planet hurtles towards Earth
because the family becomes more detached and distant from each other. In many cases families draw closer together in a time of crisis, but this family
descends into a state of heavy despair and is almost ripped apart until the
last few minutes of the film when Claire, Justine and Claire’s son, Leo, huddle
under their “magic cave” to meet their fate together as a family unit. This
movie is very dark and solemn; so there is no happy ending, and there is no
last minute miracle to save the world. This film depicts a very hopeless situation
where the inhabitants of Earth are under a dire threat with no option to even
attempt to save themselves or their world.
This film’s storyline is very similar to a popular doomsday theory of “Planet X” also known as “Nibiru.” Nancy Lieder, claimed in 1995 that she was contacted by extraterrestrial beings about a collision or near miss between Earth and a very large planet. She stated that she was chosen to warn mankind about this disaster that would cause a pole shift on Earth and destroy most of humanity. She first claimed that this would occur in 2003, but changed the details of her story once that date passed. Reputable scientists have debunked this theory and state that there is no such planet in the Milky Way Galaxy that is a threat to Earth. Despite the lack of scientific evidence to support this Planet X theory, many online groups still believe this is a realistic threat. Announcing his company's purchase of the film, the head of Magnolia Pictures said in a press release, "As the 2012 apocalypse is upon us, it is time to prepare for a cinematic last supper." It is clear that companies and the film industry are cashing in on these panic driven theories as we are in the middle of 2012, one of the most controversial years in our human existence due to the many theories related to the end of the Mayan calendar and fear of debilitating solar flares. I predict this won’t be the only disaster film released over the next year.
Along with the strong acting performances, I also give high praise
for the imagery in this film. There are several breathtaking scenes that are
unique only to a film like this. It’s those moments that stick in your mind
days after the film. Specific scenes that still stick out in memory include:
the image of our moon and Melancholia lighting up the same sky at night, the
collision of the planets at the beginning and end of the film, the opening
scenes foreshadowing the chaos to come, and the nighttime scenes where Melancholia
is very visible in the night time sky as it approaches closer to Earth.
Among
my favorites as well are the scenes where Claire is constantly checking to see
if the planet is moving closer or further away using the wire tool that her son
made just for this occasion. There is something so very compelling about those
scenes. They are wrought with such anticipation as you wait to see whether what
she finds brings relief or more panic. As she begins to gasp for air due to the
atmospheric changes I, too, felt sympathy pains and felt out of breath along
with her. Kudos to von Trier
for capturing her panic in a way that transcends the screen and enters into the
very room where the audience is watching. This film has a very visceral impact.
I wouldn’t necessarily classify this film as a disaster film
because much of the film is not focused on the actual catastrophe that is brewing. This
story seems to be more of a character study of both Claire and Justine. We see
how their characters evolve over the course of this event and how their
reactions differ from each other. Prior to working on this film, the writer and
director reported that he suffered from clinical depression. which is probably why
the portrayal of the despair and distress are so accurately captured. As a
psychologist, I was very pleased to see that this aspect of the film was
covered flawlessly. Kirsten Dunst delivered on her downward spiral into the
depths of despair, and Claire’s rapid decompensation at the end as she is
losing her grip is to be praised as well.
Part 1 and 2 feel like two separate films. The wedding
reception feels more like a wedding video shot by one of the guests; so it
feels as though we are in attendance. There is an intimate feel when we are
alone in the room with Justine as she takes a nap with her nephew and a bath
upstairs while her guests are downstairs enjoying her reception. We feel as if
we are spying on very private moments with her when she finally lets down her
guard and disrobes from her façade and phony grin which she forced upon herself for the sake of keeping up appearances on what should be the happiest
day of her life. Her deep depression starts to become harder to fight and is dragging
her down to the point where she can’t be aroused from her nephew’s bed when she
is summoned by her brother in law and sister to rejoin the reception as the
guests are waiting for her to cut the cake. She has become so weak from the
heaviness of the depression that we see her lying lifeless on the bed and later
in the tub. Mr. von Trier
captured the strain of depression perfectly here, which led me to think that
there was hope for the rest of the movie. There were glimpses of brilliance
from von Trier, but
he wasn’t consistent with these touches throughout, which is a shame.
I did not enjoy the film as a whole due to the pacing issue,
but I did enjoy those sparkling moments where everything was aligned. If these
moments had been strung together in a different way, then this film most
definitely would have been more of a success. This was my first viewing of a
Lars von Trier film, which may be the reason that I was caught off guard
because I had no idea what to expect. From reading other reviews from both
critics and audience members, I now understand that this type of film is his
trademark, and his fans probably know what kind of ride they are in for when
sitting down to watch a Lars von Trier film. Next time I will be more prepared.
This film is really only targeted for the independent/art
film lover. If you don’t enjoy independent films, then I would encourage you to
pass on this film. If you are somewhat adventurous when it comes to trying out
new genres, then you might want to give it a go, but be prepared for what you
are about to see. This is a very slow moving film that will leave you very
frustrated at least during the first hour of the film, and it will leave you
with a lot of unanswered questions, which can be quite unsatisfying. I would
encourage you to go in to it with the goal of admiring the imagery of the film
and the performances by Dunst and Gainsbourg. Those are the film’s strongest
attributes. Many will be bored to tears, but maybe a few will walk away being
moved emotionally and visually impressed. It is a very thought provoking piece
of work. You will find yourself wondering how you would face such a
catastrophic event and how you would spend you last few days on earth. The music
chosen for this film was Wagner from Tristan and Isolde, which is very moving
and matched perfectly with the intensity of this film. Some reviewers are
stating that this is von Trier’s best work, and if that is so then I’m not
looking forward to his other works. I have a feeling that it is all in how you
perceive this movie and that everyone will get something different from this
film. It is definitely different from other disaster films in that there is no news coverage and no mass hysteria. We only see this one family through Part 2; therefore, it is a very intimate and isolated reaction to the end of the world compared to past high energy, mass chaotic conclusions to disaster flicks.
The only way I could see this film as a success would be to
turn it in to a short film lasting 30 minutes and covering the major plot
points while cutting out the painfully long silent scenes where nothing significant
is taking place. If he included the opening montage with the last few minutes
of the film, it would be very powerful and satisfying. There were way too many
scenes where one character is lost in thought for several minutes, and no
dialogue or notable events take place. Obviously, we all have these mundane moments
throughout our day, and it is very realistic to portray scenes that are not
action oriented in order to capture the realistic side to our everyday human
lives. However, to keep any sort of interest level going, there needs to be some
point to this type of scene; otherwise, it needs to be cutout of the film to
move things along at a faster pace. There were simply too many of these scenes
in one film. It’s a shame that more of the focus was not given to the aspects
of the film that shined, such as the actor’s performances and the
cinematography, as that could have easily saved this film. With some proper editing
this film could be shaped into a much more riveting piece of work.
From a psychological standpoint, I enjoyed the focus on the dysfunctional, broken family and how they interact in the face of this looming tragedy. Much of the family is very unempathetic with Justine’s condition, and it is hard to watch as they are overtly uncaring and dismissive of the depth of her struggles.
2.5 stars – Bizarre but at the same time mesmerizing, Too artsy and slow paced for the mainstream audience
Melancholia Trailer
Opening Sequence to Melancholias
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