Planetary Sadness

  Melancholia is everything that everyone says it is.  How good is that review?  Fine, I will go a bit further and say that while perusing various other reviews and comments, I tend to agree with both the bad and the good from other reviewers.  I also disagree with almost every one as well.  For me, this film was the edge of cinema in a place where I can simply sit back and observe the dark chasms of the mind of Lars von Trier.  And see Kirsten Dunst’s boobs.

Clearly there are many viewers who will call this the film that gave us nude scenes with Dunst.  While I do not deny the value of such an observation, it really is the least favorable thing about this film.  For me, this was an uneven film that frustrates the viewer while amazing them as well.  Perhaps I am a glutton for punishment, but I like the frustrations that Lars von Trier creates.  It is not a typical film and really even a bit different from other Trier films, but that is a good thing in my opinion.  After watching every comic book film made this year, it was time to move beyond films that entertained me to films that made me contemplate my existence (or at least go a bit deeper than spandex).

The first half of the film examines the personal issues of Justine (Kirsten Dunst) just as she makes her way to her own wedding reception.  The viewer is a fly on the wall as the reception and good times of the happy couple devolve into a complete meltdown.  Her forlorn lover Michael (Alexander Skarsgård) treats her to what I can only call some very sweet and touching moments as they make their way to the familial estate.  I honestly thought it began very romantic (in a completely different way than Antichrist which began as a romantically filmed death) even while being filmed in a matter of fact manner.  And then crazy.  Without going too much in detail, we are treated to a piece by piece puzzle where each added piece gives us a clearer view of the very troubled Justine.  Just married and doing a stranger on a golf course, best reception ever!  The highlight of this section of the film is the way in which Dunst moves from sweetheart to depressed crazy woman.  Even while she acts out towards her newly minted husband, I still had an emotional attachment to her that created a patient/doctor relationship.  I wanted to understand her, help her.  It was very moving but juxtaposed with a very in your face style of filming.

Then we begin the second section of the film where I wanted to immediately smack the crap out of Justine.  We move ahead in time where Justine is being taken in and care for by her sister (Charlotte Gainsbourg), husband (Kiefer Sutherland), and son (Cameron Spurr).  At this point we move back into a more typical style of filming that allows Trier to move into a bigger world view.  The stylistic change fits perfectly with the subject matter, a planet is going to pass closely by the Earth and everyone is concerned it may collide.  Yep, mental health to science fiction cataclysm.  I was not as excited about this section of the film.  While the acting of Gainsbourg and Sutherland demonstrate great skill, the story became more than the film could handle.  My emotional ties had been severed with Justine and I really hoped the planet would collide with the Earth because then it would get rid of me having to keep watching the dynamic between the two sisters.  Does this mean I didn’t like this section?  Well, yes and no.  My dislike became part of the reason I did like this part of the film.  My reaction was not one of hating the film, but hating what was happening.  I became disgusted with the varying reactions of the family.  I became enraged at the transformation of Justine from mental case to rebel death merchant (or perhaps doom lover).  And then it ended.

A bit of a spoiler if you read farther, the planet does collide. The final moments of Melancholia brought tears to my eyes (from chopping onions of course) and made me realize that my level of disgust with the characters came to fruition by their final moments.  Justine became a victim of consequence that brought me back to a level of love for her character in all her imperfectness.  Her level of acceptance of her imminent death pay out so well in contrast to Claire (Gainsbourg) and John (Sutherland) panic.  What we are left with is a beautiful requiem that pushes viewers into a state of reflection.  And then it ends, without a bang or crash.  It just ends.

Sometimes I feel that I like Trier films just because they are different.  While they may not be he most well written films or best filmed films, I find that I accept that.  Melancholia is no different.  The idea of two separate films smashed together should turn me off, but I found that I didn’t care.  There were also other things that angered me about the film, but I just didn’t care.  While i would not necessarily recommend this film to everyone, I certainly enjoyed it.  It is not a big budget action filled blockbuster, it is not a well crafted romance.  It is instead, Lars von Trier.  It’s nice to think that hate it or like it, I enjoy that Trier is willing to go so far beyond convention (or ironically stay in conventions) instead of making a mainstream film.  Perhaps that’s my review.  Watch Melancholia, it’s just different.