Melancholia (2011) Movie Review, Trailer and Poster

Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany 2011
Director: Lars von Trier
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgård, Brady Corbet, Cameron Spurr, Charlotte Rampling, Udo Kier
Rating: R
Release Date: 26 May 2011 (Denmark); 11 November 2011; 5 January 2012 (Hong Kong)
Running Time: 2 hours 16 minutes

The Movie Review

Tonite I indulge in a movie that's so beautiful but also very bizarre that will likely drive some moviegoers either to despise it or be amazed by it. Melancholia is coming from director Lars Von Trier is a movie that is somehow pervasively disturbing due to the directing style, editing, visualization that once you finish watching it, undoubtedly the images will linger in your mind for a while.

It's hard to describe Melancholia and it's also hard to write a synopsis about it without spoiling or misleading. I don't know in what parts of the world you live dear readers, but if you want to spend a fun afternoon either alone or with your friends, do not see Melancholia. It's a movie to see it alone and that's also if you are ready to indulge in a storyline moves very slowly but... crammed with actors and actresses who do very adept in acting.


MELANCHOLIA
Storyline:
Cast:
Ending:
Overall:

Be Warned, Spoilers are inevitable.

Melancholia basically revolves around a young woman named Justine (Kirsten Dunst) who is about to get married. She is seemingly happy on the outside but very very troubled on the inside. Not because that she's crazy or anything but because she knows stuff in the future that other people clearly don't. And unfortunately what troubles her is not about her marriage, or her extremely unsympathetic mother or other personal stuff... But it's about the end of the world.

Justine's only sister, Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg ), has a extremely wealthy husband, John (Kiefer Sutherland), who's adept and enthusiastic about astronomy and at this time it's revealed that actually there's a planet that has been hiding behind the sun all the time called Melancholia. Claire is building a phobia over whether or not the planet will collide with Earth; John is certain that scientists know better that it will safely pass Earth; while Justine begs to differ. The movie is about their relationship, depression and state of mind dealing with the uncertainty of Melancholia.

Love it or hate it, that's fitting I guess to describe Melancholia. The movie is anything but popcorn entertainment as it deals heavily with psychological or a depressed people accompanied by heavy classic music as the soundtrack. The visualization is beautiful but eerie and strangely enough that although Kirsten Dunst in several occasions appear fully nude with the camera lingers on exposing her nudity to the audience, but titillation may not be the case here. Because the whole feeling is so surrealistic and if you think it's about loud explosive drama of end of the world like many expensive Hollywood disaster films, then you're absolutely wrong. Melancholia is a good drama directed in such creative style but even so it will not please many people. First part of the movie, I hate it and bored by it, it's mainly about wedding party which is beautiful but boring with several occasions of dizzy cameraworks. Second part of the movie, I like it, things start to get intense and meaningful. Nonetheless, I admire the whole running length of Melancholia. Still though, it's not a perfect drama but it's very subtle and beautiful.

> Unique European Motion Pictures that will surprise you in various ways: Next Door (2005), Antares (2004), Womb (2010) and Import-export (2007).

© iwan pranowo of Movielogy.com
Twitter: @movielogy
posted: Wednesday, 23 November 2011 10:30 am