I had mixed feelings about this after I saw it. I always end up with mixed feelings about Kirsten Dunst. But then I remembered while re-watching Melancholia this is one of her best performances. The core of it makes sense to depressed people, since Von Trier was inspired by his own depression enough to make this, Antichrist and Nymphomaniac. I couldn't watch the latter and haven't watched the former, as it's possibly too dark even for me. Dancer in the Dark is in my list of favourite films. Being a fan of Bjork isn't a reason to see this, but I wanted to see what she had to bring. It came out for me when I was going through my own first bout of diagnosed depression. Dancer's issue is it holds on to so much tension before there's a real escalation but the penultimate scenes in the prison would cement in most people's minds Bjork's depth of talent. My consensus, if you're not choked up by the end of this film, you have no fucking soul.
Melancholia hinges probably too much on the same refrain from Wagner's score Tristan and Isolde, this being Melancholia's theme throughout. But it doesn't detract from Charlotte Gainsbourg's weeping or the resignation in Dunst's acceptance of their demise. Clearly the son is there to add to the sense of hopelessness, if he'd been absent, I don't think the ending would have had anywhere near as much weight. Kiefer Sutherland has always been good at playing relatively arrogant and unlikable characters. I don't particularly have sympathy for his cowardly exit strategy. You're not really set up to like any men in this film, including the father and son Skarsgards, both here has Dunst's boss and husband respectively. The characters at the wedding carry the responsibility of reflecting wider aspects of humanity: the greedy boss, the rather naive husband, the witless boy sent to pry a tagline out of Dunst (this I found the least believable aspect - causing tension over a tagline seemed contrived); and least of all the father, John Hurt, the absentminded, hedonist drunk. The mother (Charlotte Rampling) seems to exist to add further tension to this recipe of dysfunction. And the victims are the sisters, Justine and Claire. Ultimately, it's Justine picking up the pieces of the supposedly stalwart and often put upon Claire, because Justine's heavy depression is what steels her for the actual end of the world, that we all know is coming. The science fiction aspect blends believably into this narrative, it's well displayed, the oncoming Melancholia starkly beautiful as it is perturbing in its constant looming presence. Justine embraces death quite rightly for her depression, seeming to almost flirt with Melancholia and its pending destruction by bathing in its glow under the gaze of a bewildered and perhaps even jealous Claire. You could argue Claire has more at stake with her son and her husband, she has more to mourn, while Justine has lost her job and her husband rather haphazardly, you would think she's the least sympathetic one in this mix. It's through her acceptance and stoicism you gain a sense of admiration for her. One thing we depressives can do is withstand the idea of death once it's become inevitable. But Von Trier's movies are a constant reminder of death across the board. He only tends to paint more hope into something that should be riddled with despair.
I think it was tactless of him to make comments on his family history concerning the Nazis. Perhaps in his depression he'd embraced some truths other people couldn't stomach. He picked the wrong time to admit to it.
My obsession with Dancer comes from the soundtrack. I know that more intimately than the movie itself. What is bringing an overture of hope and acceptance is the lyrics of New World. (Anyone reading this - you have play it at my funeral - it's not a dirge.) The songs all carry the story, I get how Scatterheart is a bit more disjointed where it plays in the narrative, but it's a portrait of Selma's innocence now being exploited and she's holding on to this so fiercely knowing the reality of her situation. I also learned Chelsea Manning was affected by seeing this film, another thing I connected with her over. It's a confusing movie on first viewing. You don't really understand the weight of what's being discussed until it all begins to unravel. Again, you're not meant to like many of the men here, but you're more likely to loathe Bill's wife, Linda, clearly a representation of the American Dream that in her case isn't earned - she's squandering an inheritance and Bill has no spine to stop giving her money. The pair of them are despicable once it becomes apparent how quick Bill is to exploit Selma's disability and how callous Linda is to call Selma a liar. Those on Selma's side, her overbearing friend Cvalda who's constantly bringing Selma down from the clouds, and Jeff, the unrequited suitor who can't distract Selma from her rather girlish crush on Bill, fail to convince Selma to discard her plan to save her son's sight at any cost. Selma's a character who doesn't ever leave your memory. I don't know if any other actress could've delivered what Bjork does here, hence Von Trier's relentless pursuit of her. She stated some regret working with "a certain director" due to his overbearing nature, there wasn't a need to name names. I can imagine Von Trier being another director who's been elevated by intense admiration and hasn't been humbled by it. You have two astounding films to come out of this tenacity, but not a terribly likeable director.
I couldn't see that same brilliance in Nymphomaniac, I couldn't tolerate the pacing or the content. I think it lends too much to pornography and fails to be a believable commentary on female sexuality. Granted, I only watched twenty minutes, this thing in its entirety has two parts. It bored me shitless and I might've been there for reasons of curiosity but from what I've since learned, this was insufferable for some. So I can't claim to be a fan of Von Trier if I can't find him that accessible. I can certainly see what makes his films off-putting to the general public.
But definitely see Melancholia and Dancer in the Dark. I can quite easily visit these and still find something with each viewing.
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