Melancholia

Melancholia
My friend and I thoroughly disliked the film. I had to hold her down from leaving. Unfortunately we even made too many nasty comments and the couple in front shushed us up. I did apologize.
Melancholia refers to the state of mind of main character Justine.(Kirsten Dunst) I was not aware that Kirsten Dunst was such a fine actor. We meet her on her wedding day. At first she is gorgeous and all smiling. She and her husband arrive 2 hours late for the reception and everything goes down hill from there. She goes into a melancholic mood and acts very strange. She leaves the reception and wanders around the massive grounds of the castle like estate (her brother-in-law’s home) She drives his golf art around the golf course. She ‘humps’ a young guest on the grounds of the estate. Her new husband even packs his bags and leaves that very evening.
Melancholia also refers to a previously undiscovered planet that is moving into the earth’s radius. The brother-in-law purchases an enormous telescope and also purchases goods to prepare for a disaster.
Justine keeps looking up to the sky and sees a red star. Is this a premonition of disaster? Is her behavior controlled by the terrestrial phenomenon?
The wedding does provide some humor. The father is an older gentleman surrounded by two younger women. The mother is an angry person who shouts out at the reception,” Enjoy it while it lasts. I hate weddings.”
The best man is also Justine’s boss. At one point during the reception she yells at him, “I hate you and your firm. You are a despicable power hungry man.”
Her brother-in-law tries to calm her down and reminds her they had a deal. He paid for all the wedding festivities and she had promised to be happy.
I thought the film was finished until I saw Part 2 appear on the screen. The title was ‘Claire’. (the sister of the bride) The second chapter shows Claire in two ways. She was so loving and attentive to her depressed sister. She went beyond what anyone else would do. We also see her degenerating mentally as the planet Melancholia comes closer to earth. The ending was unexpected and startling.
The saving grace for the film is the magnificent cinematography. Many of the scenes are spectacular in vision. The camera lingers for a long time over the beautiful landscape. The house is like a castle and the grounds are exceptional. The camera shows it all in a slow methodical artistic manner.
The beginning of the film shows many shots that are still like. The camera lingers forever on each character. We see the bride, Justine, in the woods dragging branches that are attached to her gown? Obviously it was a metaphor for what was about to happen. The lengthy pictures were annoying rather than increasing my curiosity of what was to come.
There was one scene of Justine sprawled over a river bank completely nude. I wanted to capture that beautiful image and frame it. The lush greenery behind her emphasized the beauty of her naked body.
Lars von Trier is the controversial director and writer. I needed to talk with him following the film. You may recall he made some pro Nazi comments at the Cannes Film festival. He likes controversy and would probably be happy that many do not like his film. I am not a fan of fantasy.
I didn’t want to see this film about the end of the world. I just wanted the film to end.