Bombastic? But of course. Still, we’re hooked. Yet melacholia isn’t just a state of mind but also the name of a planet that’s hurtling toward Earth. Yes, an actual planet — or a metaphor, you decide. It doesn’t matter; what resonates is the resulting mood, and it’s inescapable.
Von Trier himself has battled depression over the past several years; he last worked through it cinematically, and far less effectively, with the gratuitous “Antichrist’’ from 2009, which featured genital mutilation and the unintentional catchphrase, “Chaos reigns,’’ uttered by an injured fox. This time, the Danish writer-director seems far more interested in exploring the depths of his characters’ despair and fear, in understanding the humanity within their darker recesses, rather than shocking us for shock’s sake.
Von Trier has been unjustly accused of misogyny toward his female characters, and yes, they do tend to suffer horribly. But these roles also provide enticing challenges for the actresses playing them, and in the antisocial, apprehensive bride Justine, Dunst delivers the most complex performance of her life. Everything about her carriage suggests that she’s psychologically slogging through molasses just to carry out basic, daily functions like bathing and eating dinner. Quite often, you want to just hand her a prescription for Lexapro and be done with it. But Dunst also vividly conveys Justine’s feeble attempts at normalcy and civility with just the slightest forced smile.
The irony is that the closer this threatening planet draws near, the better she feels. If this is the end of the world, she welcomes it.
“Melancholia’’ is divided into two parts, beginning with “Justine,’’ which focuses on her lavish wedding day. It’s a bad omen that the limousine carrying her and her new husband, the sweetly bland Michael (Alexander Skarsgard), repeatedly gets stuck trying to drive up the narrow, winding path to the decadent estate where the reception is taking place.
