In August, I broke a twenty-year streak of never seeing another Lars von Trier movie again. I watched Melancholia, and thought it was fantastic, and surprisingly not as difficult of a sit as I thought, despite that it’s about depression and the end of the world.
I really related a lot to the depression and melancholy that Kirsten Dunst’s character is going through, that feeling of sadness when you’re supposed to be happy, and others blaming you if they can see your melancholy through your happy front. She really captured that well, and deserved the honors she got for this role.
I liked how this movie was about accepting the inevitable, and coping through depression, and finding a still of peace when others are way more emotional. Like how Charlotte Gainsbourg’s character starts off picking on her sister and treating her like the scapegoat for family problems (like their mother being rude and inappropriate at Dunst’s wedding reception), then, as the end of the world becomes more real, she has to accept her mortality and need her sister for guidance.
I had sworn off watching von Trier films after the ending of Dancer in the Dark, in which the finale was so devastating and awful that I never wanted to see his films again. I also couldn’t finish Breaking the Waves as a teenager, finding it way too sad to get through, though I’m sure I could be fine with it now. So I just avoided seeing his films from then on, but felt like Melancholia would be one I would like and understand, as opposed to probably hating Antichrist or The House That Jack Built. I think he’s a very talented and challenging director, but I don’t feel up to being emotionally devastated by films a lot, I can only take that in small doses.
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