Movie Review: Melancholia

4 stars out of 5

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and Kirsten Dunst feels… melancholy.

This is an art film with a capital A, so those of you who don’t care for that sort of thing, stop reading right now. I beg you.

Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve only seen one previous Lars von Trier film, the Bjork-starring Dancer in the Dark way back in 2000. (Which I liked a lot.) No, I never saw Breaking the Waves, OK? Have I lost some independent-film cred? So be it. I think I have Dogville on my Netflix queue, if that’s any consolation.

Is this a big “metaphor” movie? I suppose you don’t name a planet Melancholia without some imbedded meaning there. A planet that is heading toward Earth, possibly on a collision course. Though this is the slowest sci-fi film since Solaris. Which I also liked a lot. So nyah, nyah, n-nyah nyah.

That’s more the second half of the movie, though. The first half deals with the most dysfunctional cinematic wedding since Rachel got married. The reception is stocked with top-flight actors turning in strong performances. John Hurt is terrific as the playful, irresponsible father of the bride. You can feel the conflict with Charlotte Rampling (excellent in Swimming Pool), the bitter, cynical, fiercely independent mother of the bride. Stellan Skarsgard and Alexander Skarsgard are two different actors, and I apologize to them both for not locating on the keyboard the little circle at the top of the “a” for their second syllables. They’re both good in this movie, especially Alexander as the hapless groom who just wants everything to be OK but knows in his heart that it never will be.

And then there are our leads: Dunst as the bride, and Charlotte “Yes I’m Serge’s daughter” Gainsbourg as her sister. I can imagine them both getting Best Actress nominations… and I imagine Charlotte winning!! They’re both super-good. Part I of the movie focuses on “Justine” (Dunst). Part II is called “Claire” (I’ll let you figure out who plays her). And they’re both portrayals of women desperately trying to hold it together but ultimately failing. Succumbing. Dunst’s performance is a bit more subtle, a bit more layered. Gainsbourg is asked to really go from one extreme to another, so it’s her character that really tugs at our emotions. Interesting role reversals here: As each sister breaks down, the other necessarily becomes stronger. In terms of fall releases, it’s a more compelling look at sibling dynamics than Jack and Jill provided (which is not to totally knock the brother-sister portrayal in that goofball movie).

Von Trier creates a sense of high anxiety very early on (a limo having a hell of a time making a K-turn on a country road) and never lets up for 2+ hours. It’s an impressive piece of work as writer and director. The artsier elements are generally kept in check, though the movie begins with a montage of beautifully shot, somewhat surreal set pieces. Perhaps this is Claire’s view of the world’s possible end, funneled through her advertising-career perspective. Meanwhile, the wedding reception and family scenes bristle with hyper-reality. So much tension! (No wonder Claire keeps wanting to sneak away for a nap.) It all leads up to a conclusion whose power really snuck up on me. I like that in a movie. I like that a lot.

I cannot end the review without a mention of Kiefer Sutherland as Claire’s husband. I don’t know if he auditioned, or was cast as a goof, but, by gum, he does an OK job. He’s believable as a wealthy science hobbyist, the one trying to be rational, the typical male problem-solver. If the movie is too slow for you, it’s fun to pretend he’s Jack Bauer under deep cover, trying to prevent the end of the world. If you squint, you can even pretend that short-blond-coiffed Dunst is Kim Bauer. Sorry, no mountain lion.