After watching the world end in a visually stunning bit of visual FX, Melancholia brings us to the not-so-happy wedding of Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and her dopey husband, Michael (Alexander Skarsgard). Even though it is taking place at a castle - any girl's dream - the wedding is a complete mess. Justine would rather spend the night wandering the castle away from her guests, while her divorced parents are... well, let's say her dad, Dexter (John Hurt) is showing off his younger dates while her mom, Gaby (Charlotte Rampling) is showing how much she hates weddings.
The wedding scene sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Although funny, the humor is dark. Everyone is miserable despite the happy moment; it's bleak and and certainly not something for everyone. Even I had a hard time watching, which is really odd since I usually go for very different types of movies, especially when the visuals are as striking and interesting as Melancholia's.
Justine's life post-wedding isn't much better. After a complete mental breakdown, Justine moves in with her sister's family. Her mental state is, at best, flimsy and begins to fall apart as Melancholia - a gas giant that has been hiding behind our own sun - begins its approach towards Earth. Her brother-in-law, John (Kiefer Sutherland) is giddy over the star's near-miss approach while Justine is convinced the two heavenly bodies will collide.
Melancholia is, again, one of those films you'll either absolutely "get" or write off completely as "art film nonsense." There's a definite story going on here, though the story is really just a means of expressing a higher-minded philosophy. In other words, it is definitely not the sort of movie where you can just "switch off" your brain. It's attempting to say something more - though much of what is said is largely influenced by your personal beliefs. Melancholia asks the question of whether or not there's really anything good about life. The film's dark humor and tone seem to suggest that there probably isn't much real joy in the world, but again everything is open to interpretation.
Once again, Melancholia was a different sort of experience for me. I came away with my own interpretation of what was being said, but at the same time I can't say I enjoyed it as much as I thought I would. I was interested enough in the story to see it all the way through, but I also have to admit I spend most of the time just staring at the film's visuals. The cinematography is brilliant and manages to do a lot of really interesting things that manage to add even more weight to the gloomy story. The opening sequence alone is worth watching just to watch - especially in HD.
The film's visuals get the bulk of the extra feature attention. First is a very interesting bonus feature covering why certain decisions were made as far as how things look. If you're at all interested in the art of visual storytelling, or just interesting cinematography, this is a must watch. Another feature covers the film's visual effects. Although Melancholia does feature the end of the world, don't expect the same end-of-days action you'd find in a Roland Emmerich flick. Instead, the feature offers a look at what goes into creating specific visuals. If anything, the pre-vis stuff is fun to watch. Another featurette, "The Universe" looks at the science behind the film's visual effects.
Another lengthy extra features interviews with the cast and crew, as well as a psychologist. All go over the film's broader themes and helps to develop a sort of philosophical background for everything.
Finally, there's an HDNet promo for the film, as well as a two trailers.
Melancholia is, for lack of a better explanation, just one of "those films." It's not something everyone will enjoy. Instead of presenting viewers with a simple premise and letting things play out, it goes for something bigger. It's a film for "film people" who love to watch films and talk about their larger philosophical meanings. If you're not in that number, Melancholia may not be the film for you.
