[Note: contains spoilers]

Surprisingly, I did not enjoy this movie. How Lars Von Trier can go from Antichrist to this, is not necessarily beyond me; it does actually feel like a natural progression. But Melancholia is just so tedious and slow in parts. I was hoping for much better.

I get it. It’s an honest movie about severe, manic depression, starring Kirsten Dunst as Justine. The first half is all about her wedding reception, which is taking place at her sister’s estate. She tries very hard to keep it together, but as the night progresses, her depression overpowers her will, and her wedding slowly falls apart. Towards the end of the night, Justine is so out-of-control and lost, that her new husband has no choice but to abandon her. The second part of the film focuses on the relationship between Justine and her sister, Claire, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg. Justine’s depression continues to suck the life out of her, and as the film saunters along to the end, we see how it has changed their relationship. All the while, Justine’s world is increasingly bleak, to the point where suicide seems inevitable, even though you know this is not where the movie is headed…

While all of this is going on, a planet named Melancholia is passing dangerously close through the Earth’s orbit, with the possibility that it could collide and lead to total annihilation. This idea displaces the thought of suicide within Justine. Did I mention Melancholia is a blue planet? And yes, everything that happens in regard to this metaphor is way too obvious, including the tee-pee closing scene.

There were things that I did like about this film. Namely, that it does do a good job of showing the effects of depression. The mood is perfect, and it’s very well shot. I liked a lot of the symbolism, too, including the convergence of Justine’s and Claire’s characters. At one point, Claire’s husband (Kiefer Sutherland) kills himself by overdosing on medication that was intended for all of them (in case they found out that Melancholia was indeed headed for the destruction of our planet). But instead of sharing the medicine, he takes it all himself, leaving Justine and Claire to fend for themselves in the final hours before doom. That’s classic Von Trier, and as the audience, you realize that you were blinded from the real truth of what was really going on, because the film’s skewed angle of view was so overwhelming. He also shows us a very narrow vision of the world, which feels appropriate in the context of the film.

Unfortunately, the movie is drag. It’s gets boring too often, and honestly, it’s just not a fun film to watch (thematically). Don’t go looking for any solace or comfort here. There are no answers. If there’s a lesson to be learned by this film, it’s that Von Trier’s particular approach does not make for practical, audience-based movie watching. In my opinion, that’s a major flaw, because he’s not fiddling around and experimenting like Stan Brakhage, after all.

Kirsten Dunst won best actress for her work in Melancholia at Cannes this year. But that doesn’t make it a good movie. See Antichrist instead. That’s Von Trier’s masterpiece.

Grade: C

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Official site: http://www.melancholiathemovie.com