Melancholia
In Kooperation mit der Film- und Medienstiftung NRW
The end of the world has never looked more artistically refined. Lars von Trier begins MELANCHOLIA with an eight-minute prelude consisting of a series of nightmarish, yet bizarrely beautiful tableaus depicting moments of almost arrested motion. This is a furious preview of the ultimate minutes of the film, when the planet Melancholia will collide with Earth. However, before the apocalypse arrives, a wedding celebration comes undone in an amusing way: the bride (Kirsten Dunst) feels depressed, her mother (Charlotte Rampling) resorts to abusive language, and the wedding planner (Udo Kier) suffers a nervous breakdown – all the while Melancholia is looming brightly in the night sky above the revelers. Variety aptly notes that Lars von Trier's new film is »blending grand-scale Hollywood effects with intimate, femme-focused melodrama. Think THE CELEBRATION meets ARMAGEDDON.« Kirsten Dunst won the Best Actress Award at this year's Cannes Film Festival for her courageous performance as the bride.
