A digital, slow motion apocalypse: a dreamlike juxtaposition of beauty and death, as a menacing planet swallows earth whole, to the music from Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde. This is the prelude to Lars von Trier’s Melancholia, a movie in two chapters for two sisters, Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), who look nothing alike and have irritatingly different accents. Part one is Justine’s disaster of a wedding reception at her brother-in-law’s (Keifer Sutherland) estate. In part two, Justine’s depression is crippling (von Trier purportedly modeled her after himself) and the sisters’ relationship is tense as the world ends. The shaky-cam could rival that of The Blair Witch Project at times, but while aesthetically captivating, Melancholia doesn’t quite gel— Gainsbourg’s performance is excellent and Dunst has a commendable pout, but von Trier slacks on character development and the dialogue is inconsistent.
This article appears in Nov 17-23, 2011.
hey.z.. was it just me and claire that felt… he seemly putting on a little to much Tarkovsky without…… something about it… plotishly Offret…
the horse. of the midleagesz…
The Hunters in the Snow. of the other planet solaris…
suppose this is a little contentious…
their where some pretty pictures though.. i guess.
the only feelings where from Wagner though., wish it was just the opera. though… haha.