I’ve been waiting for Melancholia to be released for some time now and I couldn’t wait to see it. So last Wednesday I took myself off to the Curzon cinema in Soho to watch it on the big screen. This is an amazing place to see films (I mean, what other cinema serves you wine?). I was blown away, rendered speechless.
Usually when I come out of the cinema I can’t stop babbling about what I’ve just seen, but with melancholia it was the complete opposite. The credits had rolled and everyone was leaving but I still hadn’t said a word. The film is so powerful and evocative it’s akin to a spiritual journey. The opening is a sequence of tableaux’s which really set the tone for the rest of the movie.
Accompanied by the magnificent music taken from the opera Tristan and Isolde by Richard Wagner; it really was something to behold. I would go again just to see that and the last ten minutes of the film. Kirsten Dunst is definitely on her way to picking up some acting accolades in the coming months. Her portrayal as Justine, an emotionally unstable and clinically depressed young woman is extraordinary.
Her grief and lack of desire and interest in anything is so palatable it seeps through the screen and clings to you. Her sister Claire, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, is equally as good. The second half of the film focuses on Claire and it’s clear to see that Justine is not the only one in the family who has some issues to deal with. Both actresses are perfect, playing off each other and bringing depth and intensity to their roles.
Now that’s not to say that the men aren’t any good either. Kiefer Sutherland and Alexander Skarsgard are both brilliant in matching the two sisters. Skarsgard especially is naively sweet and adoring of Justine but it’s not reciprocated; he tries so hard to get through to her and at times its frustrating because he’s being constantly rejected and let down. What’s really interesting about this film is that even though it is about a planet that could possibly collide with earth, there is no real explanation of what is going on.
No cut away to a news report on the television or to a headline in a newspaper. The whole film is the bubble of Justine and Claire’s world and how they themselves and the people in it are dealing with the impending doom. The cinematography is the best I have ever seen. Simply sumptuous and breathtakingly beautiful, every single frame in Melancholia is practically glowing. Full of symbolic imagery and, similar to Lars von Tries’ other films, the exploration of the darker sides of human emotions and experiences. A profound and fascinating masterpiece.