Melancholia
2011 Lars Von Trier
Von Trier has managed to place us in the unenviable position as an audience in the first-person witness to the end of the world, and, as REM stated in the 80s angst of that time, "and I feel fine". Indeed we do seem to feel fine as the end of the world comes, and somehow, although sad as it may seem, we in some strange way identify with Justine, played masterfully melancholy by Kirsten Dundst, and are sensing the need to hush the worried Claire, played by the trepidatious antics of Charlotte Gainsborough.
The 2-part play, which is intended as a dichotomy of psychological space between 2 differing views of the world, indeed is executed with pinpoint accuracy and distance between the two parties, libertarian and conservative.
One of the most annoying lines of the story is from Keifer Sutherland. "How many holes does our golf course have?"
The sheer beauty of the opening prologue of the film in extreme slow motion is in itself an answer to that question, which if the artist were here with me on the page, he may say in effect the following:
"Who in their right mind gives a (*&^"
The opening of the film is a short film in and of itself that needs no afterword or narrative function to follow. As a piece of art it could stand alone.
Worth seeing, most definitely yes. Jumping to agree with in its conclusions: not on same page. But a beautiful piece of art and directing, nonetheless.
Agitatus
