Melancholia Movie 2011

Movie Information

Directed by:Lars von Trier

Produced by:Meta Louise Foldager,Louise Vesth

Written by:Lars von Trier

Starring:Kirsten Dunst,Charlotte Gainsbourg,Kiefer Sutherland.

Cinematography:Manuel Alberto Claro

Editing by:Molly Malene Stensgaard

Studio:Zentropa

Distributed by:Nordisk Film

Release date:18 May 2011 (2011-05-18) (Cannes Film Festival)
26 May 2011 (2011-05-26) (Denmark)
11 November 2011 (2011-11-11) (USA)

Running time:130 minutes

Country:Denmark

Language:English

Budget:52.5 million kr (Aprox. 7,400,000-9,800,000 U.S.D.)

Box office: $8,600,000

Plot: The film begins with a dream-like introductory sequence involving several of the main characters and images from space. A giant planet is shown threateningly approaching Earth, eventually destroying it in a planetary collision. The film is then divided into two parts.

In part one, called "Justine", the young couple Justine and Michael are getting married at the castle-like home of Justine's sister, Claire, and her husband. The glamorous and expensive party is far from successful, as Justine's divorced parents are openly fighting at the dinner. Justine herself is alienated from her sister, her new husband, her advertising-executive boss and her parents. She drifts away from the party, and becomes increasingly sad and desperate during the night. At several occasions, she looks at a specific star, which seems to shine brighter than normal. Claire's husband John says it is the star Antares, and later in the film the star disappears. At the end of the party, Michael leaves Justine, implying that their marriage is called off. However, just as the "dance of death" theory predicted, this is a false respite. As Claire suddenly notices after she views the rogue planet through Leo's makeshift 'planet viewer', Melancholia is circling back and will collide with Earth after all. John, who also discovers that the end is near, commits suicide through a pill overdose. His dead body is found by Claire, who decides to conceal it from Leo and Justine. She talks to her sister Justine, who is unperturbed by the impending doom. Justine says she knows that life does not exist elsewhere in the universe. Claire becomes increasingly fraught, trying futilely to act in response to the oncoming destruction and to protect Leo from the inevitable. In contrast, Justine has become calm and silent, seemingly accepting the forthcoming apocalypse. Their relationship has become inverted, with Claire now dependent on Justine for emotional and psychological support.

Justine tries to comfort Leo (who seems to help her dealing with the depression) by building a protective "magic cave", a symbolic shelter made out of wooden sticks. Justine, Claire and Leo enter the shelter as the planet approaches. Claire is agitated and fearful, while Justine and Leo remain calm and hold hands. Melancholia then collides with Earth, destroying it.