Melancholia (2011)
Director: Lars von Trier
Writer: Lars von Trier
Actors: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgård, John Hurt
I think of myself as able to tolerate mostly anything when it comes to film. Whether it be surreal, abstract, or even just plain weird, I’ve seen it all. Obviously handling it does not always mean that I will enjoy whatever the director is trying to do. I will put in my best effort in order to try to figure out what is going on, however if the film does not give me anything to grab on to then I won’t really waste my time searching for hours and hours when there are hundreds of better films waiting to be seen. A film trying to present an idea or thought in an unconventional way should at least have something the viewers can gravitate towards. It should serve a purpose, whether it be for the structure of the film, the plot, or even just a message the director wanted to progress that is not part of the film narrative. In any case my point is pretty clear, whenever I watch something that presents itself as being abstract for the sake of deriving an idea from it, I need something to grasp on to. A structure that makes sense whether in the world of the film or in an idea the director wants to present. One of these two should exist in order to create a coherent film. I am fine with a film having a plot that does not make any sense in the context of the film, but is able to have consistent and meaningful subtext behind that disoriented plot. Melancholia has none of those two things in my eyes, and I cannot find any bit of enthusiasm to try to look for it. Because even if the film has a deep and meaningful structure underneath all that nothing that the plot presented, I wouldn’t even care. Because it will have lost all its impact due to the fact that I would have spent so long trying to extract any bit of semblance of meaning from this film. That action alone will inevitably wear off any impact the subtext would present. And that is my biggest gripe with this film.
This is my first time watching a Lars Von Trier film. I had no real expectations, and I honestly went in with an open mind. However this two part film just left me infuriated. The first half annoyed me due to its very shallow depiction of depression, while the second just pushed me over the edge with that damn planet. I just did not get it, which is sad, because I can see that he is trying to make something different. But this is not something for me, if you enjoy these type of films, all power to you. Let me break down my frustrations with this film. The first part of the film tackled Justine, a woman suffering from depression who is having her wedding at her sister’s house. Initially, I was very intrigued, I didn’t know where he was going but the film managed to grab my attention. I like the idea of showing how depression can manifest regardless of the positive things that are happening in your life. But all of that was negated by the way the story progressed. It was as if Trier was implying that depression is something that is black or white. Justine is depressed and everyone around her knows that, yet they just try to make her happy by giving her an extravagant wedding, a loving groom, and so on. It felt like a very superficial way of tackling a heavy topic. It is as if someone who everyone knows has a cold is constantly told to “stop having a cold”. Justine as well acts very irrationally. I understand Lars is trying to depict depression not just by tears, words, or facial expressions, but at times I seriously did not know what the hell was going on with her. Certain points I really enjoyed the nuanced display of depression she was showing. Like not really smiling genuinely as you may expect from someone who is having their wedding, or even the feeling of heaviness Dunst brilliantly portrayed that Justine felt as she was walking. All of those were great. But everything else she did felt so irrational. Walking out and having sex with her boss’ nephew, taking a bath in the middle of her wedding, and flipping around the pages in her sister’s office. It took away all the sympathy I had for Justine and just frustrated rather than making me connect with her character.
Now all that I mentioned above I could ignore. If the film continued to pan out in the way that it did I may have been able to forgive some of the frustrations I had. Heck if the whole film was that portrayal of depression, I am quite certain I would have come around and enjoyed the film after a couple of viewings. However, the second half of the film seriously put such a sour taste in my mouth that I doubt anything would prompt me to watch it again. A film that was a fascinating depiction of depression turned into this mess of a Sci-Fi movie that just ended up making me angry. My biggest issue with the second half was that there was no suspense in the collision. None whatsoever. The first ten minutes of this film basically squashed every bit of suspense the second half was trying to achieve. The audience already knew the collision was going to happen. Yet we are constantly berated by the characters trying to figure out and argue whether or not Melancholia would collide with Earth. I was so sick and tired of hearing Claire cry and freak out over this planet that I just wanted the film to end as quickly as possible. Not only was the suspense gone, but I seriously could not make any sense of this second half. What was all that about. I read online that it’s proving a nihilistic outlook on life but even if that is the case I cannot find any merit for having a near hour of that film dedicated to that arc. I am still in shock of what I watched that I cannot even articulate any more words. I am guessing this was the ultimate goal of the film, to elicit an emotional reaction from the viewers. However this is not the response I wanted to feel when watching a movie.
I don’t really have much else to say about this film, it wasn’t for me at all. I am all for not spoon-feeding the viewers and presenting an abstract or surreal piece of art. But for me this is absolutely not the way to do it. Also, can I just say something really quick, the camerawork in this film as very nauseating. I don’t understand the need for using a handheld camera for this type of film. Maybe it would invoke a sense that we are watching a documentary. But to me it just felt way too distracting. Okay end of tangent. This movie wasn’t for me. I didn’t get it, and I am fine with admitting that.
