While we weren’t quite enraptured with Lars Von Trier‘s psychological disaster film when we saw it in Cannes, there are a few definite highlights to be enjoyed. Firstly, Kirsten Dunst gives the performance of her career in the film — her Best Actress win at the festival was well deserved — and the movie itself is utterly gorgeous, thanks in no small part to cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro. His first effort for Lars Von Trier is simply a knockout and as the opening montage of this latest trailer shows off, there is some tremendous work that will dazzle the eyes.
Co-starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Alexander Skarsgård, Stellan Skarsgård and Udo Kier, the film finds two sisters (Dunst, Gainsbourg) each separately grappling with acceptance and denial/fear when it becomes apparent that the titular planet will crash into Earth, killing everything and everybody in its path. While the film is more or less an extended metaphor for depression, of which Von Trier famously suffers from, it does chart some interesting emotional territory even if at over two hours it does become a bit repetitive and heavy-handed. But as with any Von Trier film, he is simply doing something no one else anywhere is even attempting anywhere and on that merit alone, it’s still a fascinating film to watch.
“Melancholia” will go VOD on October 7th before getting a limited release on November 11th. We definitely urge you to see it on the big screen if you can (and also, the excellent score deserves to be heard through some big ass speakers). Trailer below.