And people say that Terrence Malick is self indulgent! People accused the director of pretty much making The Tree of Life so that he, personally, could explore what it meant to be a living thing on this planet…existentialism, family , blah blah blah. I quite enjoyed the Tree of Life but more so for the parts that focused on the family, the rest of the stuff (the dinosaurs, the pulsating nebulas) seemed out of place and not relevant (directly) to the meat of the story.
But this piece is not about Malick’s Tree of Life. It is about Lars Von Tier’s, Melancholia. I only brought up Malick because when I was done watching Melancholia I had the exact same sentiments that people had about Malick at the end of the Tree of Life but for Lars Von Tier, that he is very self-indulgent. If you have ever sat through Tier’s Dogville, a three hour movie that is essentially a play without many props and sets, than you can understand why I would think this. Dogville, while very unique and creative, was still an experiment that needed to be half its run time to be truly exceptional. Though I was not the biggest fan of Tier’s Dogville, that does not mean that I did not like Melancholia. I enjoyed it very much, but it is not for everyone as are many of Tier’s films which are normally about 3 hours, slow, meandering, but also strangely satisfying. At the end of Melancholia you come to realize that every shot had a purpose but not in the way you expected it to.
For a small synopsis, the film is about two sisters and how each of them copes with the impending arrival of a planet called Melancholia. The sisters are Justine (Kirsten Dunst,(Welcome back!)) and Claire (Charlotte Gainsborough). The entire film takes place at the Mansion of Claire’s husband John (Kiefer Sutherland). Aside from the human conflict, there is conflict with the unknown force, specifically the planet melancholia and whether or not the planet will collide with Earth.
The film never switches locations which add to the uncomfortableness of all the characters are feeling, and let me tell you everyone is suffering in this movie, whether silently or blatantly. The film is very character driven and explores one theme in particular, the sickness that is melancholia juxtaposed with the “object” that is Melancholia. The color structure/cinematography of the film always seems to be playing with dim lighting but more so ramps up the blue hues the closer we get to the end/climax.
The film, part drama and part sci-fi, starts out like a sweeping epic from the 50’s put with more current, eccentric imagery. Many classic films started out with an orchestral overture, the point being to set the mood for the film, get a sense from the music what emotional events you the viewer are soon to be privy to. This occurs at the beginning of Melancholia as we are treated to a beautiful score accompanied by images that will not make sense to you until the end of the film, but once you understand it is very rewarding. In many ways the film felt like a classic film, but with longer shots, some of which may seem unnecessary but as I have mentioned are very critical to the film as a whole.
The film definitely put me in a “mood” after I watched it, one I could not quite put my finger on, but perhaps that was the point the whole time. At almost 2 ½ hours, it is a touch long, but totally worth it.
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