Reddit Says This Sci-Fi Disaster Is a Once-in-a-Lifetime Masterpiece
But maybe once is more than enough in this case.
When Lars von Trier releases a movie, it immediately pisses off thousands of people. What is the path of a typical film by this director? A big and loud festival debut piques the viewers' curiosity, and a few years later the movie achieves cult status.
Whether it's obsession or serial killers, Trier's creations have been called controversial and divisive, yet cult classics. They are not the kind of movies you can watch in a good company or just for fun. They are difficult to recommend – they evoke different feelings in different viewers.
But one thing is for sure – von Trier's movies are a must. Even if it's hard sometimes. After all, each of his films is a work of art in its own right. He touches on topics that others are reluctant to discuss, forcing viewers to reflect on themselves and their feelings, and to look into the most secret corners of their minds.
Melancholia can probably be considered the most accessible of Trier's films, from which you can start to get to know his filmography.
What Is Melancholia About?
Melancholia is the story of two sisters set against the backdrop of the approaching apocalypse. The first, Justine, is having a big holiday – she is getting married, but quickly loses interest in the celebration.
The second, Claire, is trying to pull her sister out of her state of depression, but begins to worry about the increasing reports of an unknown planet with the poetic name of Melancholia approaching Earth. The sisters and guests of the party bitterly realize that they have only a few hours to live.
Melancholia Is The Most Unusual Disaster Movie You Have Ever Seen
It sounds like the premise of a typical disaster movie, but Melancholia was directed by Lars von Trier, so you shouldn't expect anything ordinary and standard from this movie.
The global catastrophe itself – the collision of the Earth with another planet – occurs at the very beginning of the movie, after which we observe what was happening before it – the simple lives of people trying to come to terms with their fate and solve personal problems before it is too late.
It Is Hard to Watch Melancholia More Than Once
Lars von Trier has made a kind of "anti-disaster movie" and at the same time has shown in an incredibly convincing way what every movie of this genre has, but what few of them pay due attention to. It is a feeling of emptiness, of resignation to a terrible future that no one can change.
And this feeling of hopelessness is so strong in the movie that many of the director's fans admit that although they liked Melancholia, they could not watch it more than once.
“I have a Melancholia tattoo because of how much I loved it. I have only watched the entire movie one time,” Reddit user Spaceman-Mars wrote.
With Melancholia, Lars von Trier has managed to convey to the viewer the state of depression – one of the most difficult and socially avoided topics. These are the kinds of questions that have always attracted the eccentric director: uncomfortable and complex.
But having secured fantastic metaphors and the breathtaking beauty of the image, he was able to create a very slow and complex film that is simply impossible to tear yourself away from, even if only once.