Melancholia: A Giant Planet Approaching Earth and the End of the World
Melancholia (2011)
Lars von Trier has become a master filmmaker that Denmark now proudly presents to the world, known for works like 'Dancer in the Dark' and 'Antichrist'.
It was he who, while incorporating his own experiences with depression, projected 'Melancholia' (2011) onto the screen with a grand and sweet worldview.
This is a film about melancholy. It has a dual nature, and it also depicts the event of a planet making an abnormal approach to Earth. The planet's name is 'Melancholia.' Melancholy is a sweet pain, much like falling in love. The collision between the planet Melancholia and Earth is a symbol of that. (Director Lars von Trier)
The film stars two actresses. One is Kirsten Dunst, familiar from Sofia Coppola's 'The Virgin Suicides' and the blockbuster 'Spider-Man' series. She won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for this role, a remarkable achievement for an American actress in 18 years.
The other is Charlotte Gainsbourg. She is the daughter of the legendary Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, and a talented actress who sparked a French Lolita boom in the mid-1980s. In von Trier's previous film 'Antichrist', she also
won the Best Actress award at Cannes.
The story unfolds in two parts, focusing on the sisters Claire and Justine, played by these two actresses.
Even so, the 8-minute prologue at the beginning is stunning. It is too beautiful. Symbolic images of the story that follows are woven together in visuals that resemble historical masterpieces.
Furthermore, the overwhelming strains of Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde' flow throughout the entire film. It possesses a magical power that completely intoxicates the viewer.
Since then, every time I see a full moon shining in the middle of the night or a sunset sky with a mysterious expression, I cannot help but be conscious of these images.
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Text by/Mitsuhiro Nakano
Reference: 'Melancholia' DVD bonus features, pamphlet
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