Lars von Trier's "Melancholia"

[hifiguy]

Just saw this amazing, achingly beautiful film. Seems to be quite a polarizing piece of work. As fabulous as Kirsten Dunst is, and she deserved an Oscar, Charlotte Gainsbourg was every bit as good. Performances like those are rare things. And the sheer beauty of it overwhelmed me.

I also loved Malick's "The Tree of Life" and David Lynch is my favorite filmmaker, which probably says rather a lot about me....

What are the Lounge's thoughts?

[Xyzse]

1. Melancholia was decent, beautifully shot.

I gave up five minutes in Nymphomaniac.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

2. I sat mesmerized throughout. Need to watch it again.

Have you seen Dogville, another Lars Von Trier film.

[hifiguy]

3. Nope but it is now on my list.

I thought "Mulholland Drive" and "Tree of Life" were the most sheerly beautiful modern films I had seen before "Melancholia." I was literally sputtering and crying at the astonishing beauty of the end of von Trier's film.

It's an astonishing metaphor for the power of depression. I have struggled with clinical depression off and on my entire adult life. One of the strangest things about depression comes through the film with fierce power - confronted with disaster it is often depressives like Justine who are best able to deal with it and accept it, whereas the ordinary folks like John and Claire dissolve.

Definitely a movie I will watch several more times.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

7. I need to rewatch Mullholland Drive and Tree of Life again.

I am wondering if I have confused Tree of Life with another film ... the name of which escapes me at the moment.

Dogville is ... different, I think ... even for Von Triers.

Let me know what you think.

[bigwillq]

8. Tree of Life was indeed one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen (nt)

[Lolita46]

4. Movie sucked.

Dunst is stupid. Bored as Hell.

[hifiguy]

5. This is no way to make friends on a forum

where you have all of eight posts. Enjoy your stay. It will be brief.

[Lolita46]

6. Being honest.

Forum can't handle honesty?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

9. Honesty it is fine, your delivery is lacking a certain ...

panache ... shall we say.

[Lolita46]

10. Unladylike?

Sorry.

[cyberswede]

11. Where did you get that?

[steve2470]

13. with all due respect...

and I'll assume here you are for real...

Tact and diplomacy, especially when first "meeting" strangers on an online forum, goes a long way. Can say exactly the same thing with the rough edges sanded off.

YMMV. Your choice.

[NRaleighLiberal]

16. I suspect this is a certain library poster

[Tuesday Afternoon]

18. I would not be surprised at all

[dr.strangelove]

15. I second this - Movie Sucked

The film was beautiful to watch. It just should have been a silent film. I could have done better in my imagination to write it. Sad to take such beautiful looking work and destroy it as they did.

[mainer]

22. I third that. It sucked.

But not Kirsten's fault. Just a long, depressing look at the end of the world.

Of course some may love that.

Felt the same way about Dancer in the Dark.

[CBGLuthier]

12. I liked it a lot. i also liked Antichrist even though they are on the opposite sides of beautiful

von Trier is a fascinating director who I have enjoyed many times over the years. I read recently he is concerned that his newly acquired sobriety may lead to difficulties with his creative process. I hope he is wrong.

[NRaleighLiberal]

19. yes, that was quite a watch - fascinating and often cringe-worthy!

[HeiressofBickworth]

14. I found "Melancholia" just that

At the end of the movie, I felt like opening a vein. It was that depressing.

[LynneSin]

21. Lars Von Trier movies tend to do that

You thought you'd open a vein with "Melancholia" then watch "Breaking the Wave", that would put you over the edge. I like how Trier works with the family. "Breaking the Wave" was one of the first big movies that put Stellen Skarsgard's name on the map outside of Sweden. Then in "Melancholia" Trier used both Stellan and his son Alexander but he didn't cast them as Father and Son.

[NRaleighLiberal]

17. I really liked it - watched it twice, though it is certainly uncomfortable

eerie and frustrating in parts.

Compelling, remarkable music. Certainly not a movie for everyone, or every mood.

[LynneSin]

20. I only watched it because Alexander Skarsgard was in it

But I was really amazed with the film. It was creepingly beautiful in a Lars Von Trier sort of way. One thing about his films is to not expect anything normal out of it. "Dogville" was like that where they didn't have any walls yet they had the outline of walls and people would act like the doors and walls were there. And Trier always pushes the limit with outrageous plotlines. My favorite of his is "Breaking the Waves" which was a Breakout for Alexander's father Stellan. Do NOT watch BTW if you are in depressed mood though because it can almost put you over the edge of depression - but it was an amazing storyline, probably one of Trier's best.

[Xipe Totec]

23. Going to order it and watch it

I had forgotten about this film. I was very intrigued by it and wanted to watch it.

Thanks for reminding me of its existence.