It was with huge excitement, and a little trepidation that I arrived at Soho's Curzon Cinema last night, clutching my white save the date card. Lars von Trier invites you to the beginning of the end, it read. I have been looking forward to Melancholia since I first heard about it at Cannes earlier this year, but with Lars von Trier, one never knows exactly what so expect.
The film begins with a five minute series of ultra slow-motion images set to an epic overture from Wagner. Birds fall from the sky, Charlotte Gainsbourg sinks into a golfing green, and Kirsten Dunst attracts electricity through her fingers. The whole thing is utterly pretentious, but the stunning scenery, together with Wagner's powerful overture, makes for a very impressive opening quite unlike anything von Trier has ever done.
The film itself is split in two parts, one centred on Justine (Dunst) and the second on her sister Claire (Gainsbourg). Dunst perfectly conveys her character's developing depression with zombie-like authenticity (she did win the Best Actress award at Cannes, after all), but it is Gainsbourg that truly shines, playing the controlling older sister, who herself takes on her own melancholic state as the threat of an oncoming planet (Melancholia) increases.
As with other von Trier films, the supporting cast are all excellent, particularly Charlotte Rampling as the girls cold-hearted mother, and Stellan Skarsgard as Justine's horrific boss (trust me, you wont complain about your boss ever again). Also expected was lots and lots of long, naturalistic dialogue. This may not appeal to those who prefer their dialogue plot-driven and zippy, but it allows the actors to demonstrate their abilities to those all important jury members. Again, it is Gainsbourg who succeeds above the others.
Overall, Melancholia is a difficult film to watch, tiring even. But the imagery, music and performances are so beautiful that it's easy to forgive von Trier for being a little pretentious and, dare I say it, pointless.
