tonight after work i wore some neon lipstick, had a mexican coke & pumpkin pie & watched 'melancholia' in celebration of the black forest's birthday.
the movie is an intense convergence of the horrors of our inner lives and the unpredictability of the cosmos. focusing on two sisters, justine & claire, respectively played by kirsten dunst, (whose fuller figure is highly sexualized and evokes the ill fated justine from desade) and charlotte gainsborough, whose whispery voice never fails to hypnotize me.
this movie is hard to watch. it has a searing beauty, lush with a palette of nuance, touching the senses, my favorite being how 'authentic' sound was included; the scrape of a fork on a china plate, blueberries being poured from a ceramic bowl into a wooden basket, hooves on gravel, sheets being pulled down or up. i was nearly lost in focus on these sounds.
however it was the palpable emotional despair that really snagged me. there is an evilness in the sadness here, lovers are strangers and engage in odd sexual moments, parents are terribly cruel and siblings fight for a way to reconnect. all this emotional and psychological horror/beauty is tempered by the strange occurrence of a new planet in earth's obritary path, aptly named 'melancholia', a ominous yet luminous planet, quite moon-like, that threatens life on earth.
balancing the darkness of the psyche with the antiquated, atmospheric beauty of old oil paintings, the film is quite stirring, especially in the gripping final scenes. to me this is the type of film i feel is important to see, but so painful i will probably never be able to watch it again.
xo
5 comments :
I meant to watch it when it was in the theatres, but somehow missed it. interesting review. I will def try to get my hands on the dvd, even though I'm a bit nervous about it...
I have the opportunity to see this early in December at a local art house theatre and wasn't sure if I would go; I am very glad to hear your take on it - how timely! I have made up my mind.
Wonderful description. I was also floored by this movie and feel blessed to be able to see Melancholia and Tree of Life in the same year.
I saw this movie a couple a months ago and I had this mixed feelings about it as well. It is so beautiful, yet evil indeed. Also I found it was very long-winded. And I agree with what you said about loving the fact that you have seen it, never will forget it, but then again never want to watch it again. It did freaked me out!
I had exactly the same thoughts. I loved the film (massive fan of Von Trier's 'Antichrist' as well) and thought it was absolutely beautiful, but I found it so crushingly depressing I don't think I'll ever be able to watch it again... which is a shame!
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