Melancholia Review
By David Kempler
Very Melancholy Baby
Lars Von Trier's "Melancholia" is a beautiful-looking couple of hours, but from the outset it is clear that things are bad and they aren't going to get better. However, the first ten minutes is captivating artwork that doesn't make much sense, until much later.
Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsågrd) are newlyweds fresh from their ceremony and on the way to the reception. The site is a castle-like house owned by her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and brother-in-law John (Kiefer Sutherland). John has gone to great lengths to make it a special day but everyone and everything is conspiring to make it a total disaster. Heading the onslaught is Justine's mother (Charlotte Rampling) who gives the least endearing wedding toast you will ever hear. Claire's dad (John Hurt) is a fun-loving drunk who is accompanied by two young ladies he calls Betty. Almost unbelievably, the most messed up of all is our new bride.
During the reception, scads of odd happenings occur. They pile upon each other so fast that you sit back and observe as if watching a car accident in slow motion. By the time morning arrives, it has unraveled to absurd proportions. That is when Part One ends and Part Two begins. "Melancholia" is divided into two stories, even if the characters remain the same. It shifts from the bizarre wedding to the possibility of oncoming doom. An asteroid is headed towards Earth. John knows it will miss. Claire isn't so sure. Justine could care less. She is so screwed up that the end of mankind wouldn't be a particularly important event.
Von Trier does a good job directing. It's an excellent ensemble. It looks phenomenal. The problem is that it feels cluttered and phony in almost every scene. Yet, it held my attention, much like happening upon a recent car accident. Ergo, if you want to spend a couple of hours looking at a very pretty but depressing bunch of moments, "Melancholia" is for you.
