MIFF: ”Melancholy”: Justine and Claire
Caution! Possible spoilers!The new film by Lars von Trier, the USA premiere of which took place the day before at MIFF, makes a truly strong impression. Let's start with the fact that the very specificity of directing "gains momentum" with each new film by Trier. The beginning of "Melancholy" is quite distinctly reminiscent of the film "Antichrist" in the construction of the frame - slow motion shooting, music, general plans. Already in the first minutes of viewing, the final of the picture becomes clear, in which the death of the planet Earth occurs due to a collision with a planet called "Melancholy". New bride Justine (Kirsten Dunst - Best Actress in Cannes) is gradually going crazy under the influence of this gradually approaching planet. She herself symbolizes melancholy, being in such a depressed state and doubting the need for the existence of all life.“Life on Earth is evil,”she says several times, trying to impute it to Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg). She, in turn, at first does not really believe in the impending disaster, taking the scientific calculations of her husband John (Kiefer Sutherland) for the truth. The dramatic limit in the picture is shown very clearly, the characters left alone in a country house after the wedding have no chance of surviving. And only Justine keeps calm, consciously preparing for ... the End. And only Justine keeps calm, consciously preparing for ... The end. And only Justine keeps calm, consciously preparing for ... The end.  Trier penetrates into the depths of human consciousness, trying to bring to the surface what is there, inside, in a moment of despair, when you are faced with the fact face to face with inevitability. Melancholy is a story of two sisters who are two opposites."Sometimes I hate you",- Claire periodically repeats when the misunderstanding of each other reaches the limit. It is no coincidence that the picture is divided into two parts: "Justine" and "Claire". The wedding is upset, a quarrel with the boss - life is practically ruined. And then - a global catastrophe."You are a fool if you think that some planet will scare me."Here is the main idea of the film: the destruction of the family, relations as a symbol of the destruction of the entire human world; the expectation of death, if not completely alone, then in a group of three or four people, first in uncertainty and hope, and then in despair.“We're alone,”says Justine. -“Life on Earth is evil.”The star Antares has disappeared, the sun is no more. Therefore, there is no life either. The film is, of course, pessimistic. Trier probably expresses the idea of the insignificance of one world in front of the Universe, the helplessness of "one drop in front of the sea." People themselves are to blame for the arrival of Melancholy: wars, conflicts are raging in the world, the value of some things, cultures and dogmas is falling exponentially. The world is not to blame for the weakness of human characters, people themselves "sow" many problems. As a result, the general atmosphere is filled with melancholy. Perhaps this is the bitter truth so figuratively presented by Trier. The idea, started back in "Antichrist", may have its continuation in "Melancholy". However, one should not compare this idea with the religious theme of the Last Judgment. According to her, after the Second Coming, some of the repentant people will be saved. Here - no one has a chance to survive. And it is no coincidence that Melancholy to some extent resembles the Earth in color. In conclusion, I would like to briefly note the operator's work. Manuel Alberto Claro (also announced as the operator of the film by Ilya Khrzhanovsky "Dow" ) expressively shoots panoramic scenes and close-ups of the characters, thus allowing the viewer to immerse themselves in what is happening on the screen. The discordant characters of Justine and Claire, the emotions expressed on their faces; the telescope view of Melancholia and general plans of some scenes give a vivid idea of the picture itself, the idea and conflict of the heroes. And of course, music plays an important role, especially in the first frames of the film; beauty that keeps the viewer in suspense. The beauty of tragedy. The last, most powerful scene of the film, lasting less than a minute, leads to the fact for which we have all been preparing for over two hours.Vladislav Artamonov The Topic of Article: MIFF: ”Melancholy”: Justine and Claire. |
