Melancholia (2011)

Writer/director Lars von Trier is a man known the world over for his heightened ability to depress and offend. Though Melancholia is the first of Von Triers films I've actually watched, I've seen enough episodes of Brows Held High to have a pretty good idea of what I was getting myself into (and no I didn't watch the Melancholia episode until after I saw the film). Though to be fair this movie wasn't as sick and depraved as I'd expected, in fact the chief mood of the piece could best be described as, well, "melancholia".

The word "melancholia" of course is related to the mood now more comely described as "melancholy" a kind of resigned, almost bemused depression. The word "melancholia" was also sometimes used, until probably as late as early last century, as a quasi-medical term  for" female hysteria" be it real or imagined. This fits thematically with the film as it chiefly focuses on the depression (though of different types, degrees, and causes) experienced by two sisters, as well as being the name given to the rouge gas giant on its way to impact the Earth.

The film is divided into two parts, each named for and focusing primarily on one of the two sisters. The first part "Justine", is centered on the sister played by Kristen Dunst, which is not an unbrave casting call given that Dunst her self has previously spent time in a rehabilitation facility for depression. It is the night of Justine's wedding reception, being held in the lavish home of her sister Clair (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and her husband John (Kiefter Sutherland, yes really). Justine is a successful, and even sought after copy writer at a large advertising firm, her husband Michael (Alexander Skarsgard) seems like a nice guy and most everyone (with a few notable exceptions) just wants her to be happy. But Justine can't be happy, she tries to fake it, but its just not in her. The party is a long, depressing, marginally comic farce, in short a melancholic night, and by the time its over Justine and Michael are already planning to end their marriage. And also that night its discovered that a rouge planet ten times Earth's size is on its way towards us.

The second part "Clair" focuses on Charlotte Gainbsbourg's character, who is now seized with terror at the prospect of the approaching orb colliding with our planet. Her husband John (an amateur astronomer) tries to consul her with the scientific consensus that Melancholia will just pass us by, but the other melancholia has already hit. Like her sister Clair tries to hide her depression, her all encompassing feeling of impending doom, though at times she almost seems to have suppressed it, it comes back, and after her husbands suicide (Michael having now run the numbers after Melancholia's initial flyby our planet takes an over dose of sleeping pills in the horse stable) it is never to depart. Clair tries to keep her young son Leo (Cameron Spur) in the dark and hold on to some sense of hope, or at least family solidarity as the end approaches. Ironically this is when Justine becomes the stable one, having spent much of her life facing an existential oblivion, she is seemingly relived to find herself facing a real one, and knows perhaps better then most how to act when facing extinction.

The movie is a metaphor for depression and I think should be approached as one, its logic is slightly dream like, and much of its science doesn't hold up, but this is not your typical end of the world thriller. This is a somber character study with Melancholia standing in as a dues ex machine for exploring the concept of "melancholia". Its a mixture of some really good stuff, with a lot of drawn out awkwardish stuff so I didn't love it, but I did appreciated it. Not bad. ***

See also Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, which I liked better.