Melancholia is a 2011 science fiction drama film written and directed by Lars von Trier and starring Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Kiefer Sutherland, with Alexander Skarsgård, Brady Corbet, Cameron Spurr, Charlotte Rampling, Jesper Christensen, John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgård, and Udo Kier in supporting roles. The film's story revolves around two sisters, one of whom marries just before a rogue planet is about to collide with Earth. Melancholia is the second film in von Trier's unofficially titled Depression Trilogy. It was preceded in 2009 by Antichrist and followed by Nymphomaniac in 2013. On 18 May 2011, Melancholia premiered at the 64th Cannes Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim and Dunst won the festival's Best Actress Award for her performance, which was a common area of praise among critics. Many critics and film scholars have considered the film to be a masterpiece. Along with von Trier's previous film Dogville (2003), it was included in the 2016 poll of the greatest films since 2000 conducted by BBC and has since been featured in various listings of the best films of the 21st century.
Plot
The opening sequence showcases extreme slow-motion shots of the main characters, a collapsing horse, falling birds, butterflies, different planets, and images of Earth colliding with a rogue planet.
Part One: Justine Justine weds Michael in a castle owned by her brother-in-law John and her sister Claire. Justine and Michael are late for the reception due to their stretch limousine's difficulty traversing the narrow and winding rural road. Upon their arrival, Justine sees a star in the sky shining brightly. John, an astronomy enthusiast, explains it is the star Antares. When Michael and Justine arrive, they are asked by the wedding planner to guess how many beans are in a bottle for a game. Michael answers but Justine does not. The festivities are less than harmonious; Justine's divorced parents Gaby and Dexter verbally abuse each other in front of the guests. Justine, to John and Claire's annoyance, keeps wandering away. Justine's employer Jack, who announces her promotion to art director of his advertising firm, expects her to write a slogan for a new campaign during the celebration. Justine finds herself pushed into a role that others have chosen for her and falls back into depression, from which she has been suffering for a long time. Toward the end of the party, which goes on until the early hours of the morning, she quits her job in an argument and calls off her marriage to Michael. After everyone leaves, Claire is told by the wedding planner that the number of beans in the bottle was 678 and that nobody guessed correctly. Early the following morning, while horse riding with Claire, Justine notices that Antares is no longer visible in the sky.
Part Two: Claire Some time later, Justine arrives at John and Claire's estate, having sunk even further into depression, where she struggles to leave her bed and is unable to eat. Antares's apparent absence is revealed to be due to a rogue planet, "Melancholia", which appeared from behind the Sun and passed in front of Antares, occulting it. John says that according to the scientists' calculations, Melancholia will pass in proximity to Earth, but will not collide with it. Claire looks anxiously at Melancholia's path on the internet, learning of a theory that having bypassed Earth, it will turn back and collide with it. John tries to calm her down but secretly secures food and gasoline. In view of the approaching planet, Claire increasingly loses her composure, while Justine longs for the end of the world. Justine tells Claire that "all life on earth is evil", and deserves to die. Justine also confidently claims that there is no other life in the universe. When Claire asks how she knows this, Justine simply responds, "I know things" and reveals that she somehow knew there were 678 beans in the bottle at the party when nobody else did. Claire follows Justine into the woods at night as she "sunbathes" naked in the planet's glow. Strange omens occur in the days that follow. The electricity in the castle goes out, the butler does not come to work, the horses in the stable are restless, St. Elmo's fire is seen at various times, and the weather changes erratically. Melancholia initially flies past Earth, seemingly vindicating John and the scientists. However, a gravitational interaction between the planets sends Melancholia across Earth's orbit for a second time, now moving on a path towards it. On discovering this, John takes his life by overdosing on pills. Claire finally knows for sure that Melancholia will collide with Earth and hides John's death from the family. She attempts to flee with her son Leo, but the cars will not start. Justine declines to spend her final moments with Claire on the terrace by candlelight and wine, finding this suggestion absurd. Instead, Justine calms Leo down by suggesting that they build a "magic cave" out of branches. Shortly before the collision, Justine, Claire, and Leo sit under the "cave" and hold hands. While Justine and Leo seem apathetic to, or at peace with, their impending doom, Claire panics and lets go, succumbing to her despair. Melancholia finally collides with Earth, engulfing them in a sea of flames as both planets shatter against each other.
Cast
Production
Inspiration Von Trier's initial inspiration for the film came from a depressive episode he suffered. The film is a Danish production by Zentropa, with international co-producers in Denmark, Sweden, France, and Germany. Filming took place in Sweden. Melancholia prominently features music from the prelude to Richard Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde (1857–1859). It is the second entry in von Trier's unofficially titled "Depression Trilogy", preceded by Antichrist and followed by Nymphomaniac.
Development The idea for the film originated during a therapy session Lars von Trier attended during treatments for his depression. A therapist had told von Trier that depressive people tend to act more calmly than others under heavy pressure, because they already expect bad things to happen. Von Trier then developed the story not primarily as a disaster film, and without any ambition to portray astrophysics realistically, but as a way to examine the human psyche during a disaster.
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