Lars von Trier
Melancholia

I wasn't entirely satisfied with my personal experience with Von Trier's films before watching Melancholia. I actually hoped this would be the film that would redeem him in my eyes or condemn him forever, so I didn't hesitate to watch it as soon as I had the chance, with surprising results.

The film opens with surreal images, very slowed down and scenographically phenomenal (but after all the scenography will be one of the most interesting elements of the entire film, not just the introduction), accompanied by what we will discover to be the only music of the entire soundtrack, which will be repeated often throughout the film, namely the Prelude of the opera Tristan & Isolde by Richard Wagner, one of the most important components of late-Romantic music of the German area. It is no coincidence that a romantic piece appears in the film, as Von Trier himself refers to Melancholia as a romantic film. And it is true Romanticism, European and Leopardian, tinged with illness and anguish; indeed, Wagner's notes often tend in some ways to the twentieth century, tense just enough and perfectly suitable for accompanying the most significant scenes of the film, with their romantic inquietude.

The end of the introduction reveals the chapter structure of the film (which are two: Justine and Claire, like the names of the two sister protagonists) and soon lets us understand what the setting of the first chapter will be: a wedding. Justine, excellently played by Kirsten Dunst (but all the actors are amazing), is in fact marrying Michael. Their masterful wedding party is orchestrated by Justine's sister, Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), who, thanks to the wealth of her husband John (Kiefer Sutherland), wants to organize something memorable for her sister, and it will become clear later why such importance on her happiness. The surprising fact is that, right from the start, just a few words from the main characters are enough to frame their personalities, thanks to the excellent characterization intended by the screenplay but also by the memorable interpretation of the actors.

The carefree nature of the festive scenes soon begins to be disturbed, and we start to better enter Justine's mind, who will soon be revealed to suffer from depressive disorders. Her sister Claire will try in every way to make her marriage happy but without much success. Justine's lost gaze evokes strong emotions in the viewer, and the moments when she references the surreal scenes from the film's introduction begin to suggest that there’s something elusive to the audience’s understanding. Slowly, the figures of Claire and Justine begin to appear different, almost opposite to the idea one might have had of them at the start of the film. At the same time, the film’s astronomical component is gradually introduced, which will become more or less pure science fiction in the second chapter. The first chapter ends in an unexpected, depressing, and mysterious way, hinting at interesting developments.

The second chapter, "Claire," focuses more on the figure of the latter. It is immediately made clear that Justine is ill, and the figure of her sister becomes increasingly characterized by care for her and anxiety about Melancholia, which turns out to be a planet (whose presence was rather latent and hidden in the first chapter) that will pass very close to Earth but will not hit it. Meanwhile, Justine's character also changes, fully succumbing to delirium: she is no longer able to do anything alone, and her depression increases day by day, always with a significant emotional impact on the viewer. The film’s scenes become increasingly peculiar, until they no longer shy away from the presence of absurd, inexplicable dynamics… the film is changing its face, along with its characters.

It will be discovered that the predictions regarding Melancholia might be wrong, revealing the fallibility of science in which John so blindly believed, and he will indeed be the first to end up very badly in the story. The littleness of man appears as an important theme in the last half hour of the film: the apocalypse is at the doors, and there is no safe place to hide. But it is not an apocalypse as we are used to thinking of it, like a Hollywood blockbuster, with meteor showers, panicked crowds, and total destruction. No, it is an apocalypse we follow through the eyes of a family isolated from the rest of the world, living in an idyllic villa that seems to be all the world is composed of, while the approach of the planet is marked by a continuous and unsettling low-frequency sound and unexpected atmospheric phenomena, as well as a universal blackout that affects even car batteries. Thus, emerges strongly the personal dimension of the drama, the individual feelings of each character, who knows they will die but must succeed in accepting it. And paradoxically, Justine is the one who remains calm, at times even revealing not well-specified supernatural abilities, and who will, in the end, author the profoundly touching finale, set in a pre-apocalyptic atmosphere brimming with aesthetic.

Lars Von Trier, therefore, not only redeemed himself in my eyes but also delivered to humanity what I would call a masterpiece that certainly ranks in the top 10 of my favorite films. A film that unites science fiction with introspection, strong emotion with wonderful aesthetic dimensions, great performances with surreal atmospheres. Absolutely recommended!