Melancholia


A disaster movie with a difference, eternal provocateur Lars von Trier's creation is a stunning portrait of depression and anxiety, framed by one of the weirdest catastrophe's Earth could face, and delivered with a dark humour that only von Trier can manage. And it's compelling from start to finish.

The hype…
The film which will be forever tied to von Trier's unfortunate comments at Cannes, so it's fitting that 'Melancholia' is described as a 'psychological disaster movie'. The visuals look stunning, the premise is suitably bizarre for the controversial director and the cast includes such talent as Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, John Hurt and Kiefer Sutherland.

The story…
Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgård) are celebrating their recent marriage at an enormous party thrown by her sister, Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and brother-in-law John (Kiefer Sutherland). Small things start to go awry, and tensions rise, but soon it becomes clear that these details are minuscule compared to the problems going on inside Justine.

But, it seems, the universe has bigger problems still planned for the troubled family. A rogue planet, Melancholia, is hurtling through space towards earth. John is convinced that it will slingshot safely by and into outer space once more, but others suspect he's wrong.

As the family crumbles under the psychological pressure of imminent doom, we get a unique glimpse at the human psyche: powerfully compressed by the unrelenting force of events.

The breakdown…
Of all of the strange and diverse films made by Lars von Trier, this one is perhaps the one which captures his voice in its clearest form. The painful intensity of films such as 'Dogville' and 'Breaking the Waves' is here in full force, as is the bombastic framing of more recent works like 'Antichrist'. But best of all, his dark, stilted sense of humour we've only glimpsed in films such as 'Idiots' comes through superbly.

The opening half of the film focuses on the wedding party of Justine and Michael, though everything revolves around the encroaching darkness of Justine's depression. At times it feels like 'Festen', but at the end of the world', as deep-set and enormously awkward family tensions rise to the surface, led by an eternally-stern Charlotte Rampling and a marvellously affable John Hurt. But as von Trier drives the conflicts and mishaps to ever more-farcical levels, aided more than ably by his old stalwart Udo Kier whose stint as a prima donna wedding planner is hilarious, a feeling of unease sets in.

It's here that Kirsten Dunst races forth and steals the show with a performance as undeniably powerful as the planet that hurtles towards her. Von Trier has a knack for pushing his leading ladies into the dark depths of depression and anguish, (as Bjork and Nicole Kidman will no doubt attest to), but here there is no evidence of resistance from Dunst, whose character change from beginning to end of this film is nothing short of devastating.

As the gravity of her depression slowly drains the humour from around her, we move into part two.

Here, the disaster movie element takes centre stage, and the manic anxiety of Charlotte Gainsbourg's Claire shifts the feel of the film to a far more tense and uneasy sensation, while von Trier bombards us with surreal, and stunning, imagery that at once portends disaster and mirrors the response of his characters to it.

It's hard to convey in words just how completely the brilliant performances are married to some of the most beautiful compositions in cinemas this year (they match 'The Tree of Life' at several points), before being launched to celestial levels by a score that punctuates the most intense moments with powerful orchestral swells and haunting refrains.

The verdict…
Some might find the strange combination of dark humour, psychological collapse and global disaster difficult to swallow. But if you can open up to von Trier's strange, intense, and beautifully composed world, this is a film that will deliver rich rewards, and stay with you long after you leave the cinema.

Rating: 4/5

'Melancholia' is due to be released in the UK on 30 September. Certificate: 15.