"Melancholia" Movie Review

"Melancholia" movie poster.

(In foreground) Kirsten Dunst (L)
and Alexander Skarsgard.

"On the night of her wedding, Justine (Kirsten Dunst) is struggling to be happy even though it should be the happiest day of her life. It was an extravagant wedding paid for by her sister (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and brother-in-law (Kiefer Sutherland) who are trying to keep the bride and all the guests in-line. Meanwhile, Melancholia, a blue planet, is hurtling towards the Earth. Claire, Justine's sister, is struggling to maintain composure with fear of the impending disaster." Written by napierslogs (Link below.)

(L to R) Kirsten Dunst,
Cameron Spurr,
and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

I thought this movie was absolutely beautiful. An art house film; two hours of slow pictorial beauty. Great cast as well: Kirsten Dunst, John Hurt, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Rampling, Brady Corbet, Alexander Skarsgard, and his father, Stellan Skarsgard.

An image from the movie "Melancholia".

But melancholic, it certainly was. I really enjoyed this film, it was remarkable for the eyes and kind of an odd thing to put together, story-wise: "Let's put a wedding and the end of the world together." It was both written and directed by Lars van Trier. There's a feeling of extreme isolation as they wander around their perfect little world. Not realizing it's about to end.

Wedding scene from the movie
"Melancholia".

I almost couldn't care about her family though. They are so mean to Justine at her own wedding and everyone's trying to control her. And the way they try to make her 'happy' by telling her all of these things "I paid for the wedding. You better be happy." or "You better come up with a tagline on your wedding if you have too damnit or this guy's gonna loose his job." or "I don't believe in weddings, be happy while it lasts." It feels really good to know that at the end even though Justine is a depressive person who can't seem to take care of herself, she's the only one keeping it together at the end of the film.

So I liked it and would watch it again! These posters are awesome!

Script available here: http://www.the-editing-room.com/melancholia.html.

"Melancholia" movie poster.

Favorite Lines:

Justine: Life is only on Earth. And not for long.

John: Gaby, I'm sorry to disturb you, but we're ready to cut the cake. 

Gaby: [behind the bathroom door] When Justine took her first crap on the potty, I wasn't there. When she had her first sexual intercourse, I wasn't there. So give me a break, please, with all your fucking rituals.

[crying into her meatloaf] 

Justine: It tastes like ashes!

Leo: [reading] It is a planet that has been hiding behind the Sun. Now it passes by us. It's called flyby.

Leo: Dad says there's nothing to do then. Nowhere to hide. 

Justine: If your dad said that, then he's forgotten about something. He's forgotten about the magic cave.

[last lines] 

Justine: [to Leo and Claire as Melancholia approaches] Hold my hand. Close your eyes.

"Melancholia" movie poster.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1527186/.