“Life is only on Earth. And not for long.” — Justine
Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia is a meditation, a cri de coeur, and a science-fiction character study that bends time and space. Much has been made of the film since its release in 2011. From its infamous entry into the public consciousness at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival press conference when Von Trier said he understood Hitler to Kirsten Dunst’s Best Actress win at that same festival, to the film’s eventual wide release at the end of 2011, it was immediately recognized as one of the most in-depth and sensitive portrayals of depression on screen, one of Von Trier’s most common themes.
For the bulk of the narrative action, Von Trier favours a handheld, kinetic style of shooting, similar to the rest of his oeuvre, as if the camera is invading the characters’ lives at their most vulnerable.
The film’s opening overture is presented in contradistinction to this and is made up of stylized images moving in slow motion; they are highly staged and speak to the characters’ inner turmoil and the larger narrative themes that each imbues. An overture, heard most notably before a ballet or opera, previews the score, mood and atmosphere and gives the audience a sense of…
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