"Melancholia" Is Visually Stunning

So I saw this in my friend's apartment where he downloaded the film and hooked it up to his TV.  Since I was not in a movie theater environment, I was not fully engrossed in the movie, but it deserves a review nonetheless (granted it will be brief).  Melancholia follows two sisters after the wedding of one of them, Kirsten Dunst as Justine, while Earth is about to collide with a rogue planet that the film is named after.  The first half focuses on Dunst's character who is experiencing melancholia, giving the title more than one meaning, which is a Greek word meaning sadness, further described as a "mood disorder of non-specific depression."  Being in this state allows Dunst to give a great performance, earning her the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

The second half follows Justine's sister, Claire, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg.  In my opinion, she handles the inevitable doom in a much more believable way.  She is constantly freaking out and is more noticeably depressed, while Justine is very calm and quiet while dealing with the end of the world.  Kiefer Sutherland is also in Melancholia, as Claire's husband, and proves that he can be more than just a hitman or a secret agent.  

Although the actors do a wonderful job in the film, I enjoyed it more for its visuals.  The characters use a simple homemade device to judge whether or not the planet is moving closer, and it creates a beautiful spectacle.  And overall, the whole thing is visually captivating.  The fact that they live on a golf course with the most amazing view certainly doesn't hurt.

So if you're sick of blockbuster end of the world films, and want to see a disaster movie done in a more artsy and emotional way then consider downloading Melancholia.  The director, Lars von Trier, has experience with this type of movie and certainly knows what he is doing, although he seems like a total weirdo.  In a Kirsten Dunst interview, the actress said he would run around with his pants off just to get a laugh.  You don't have to worry about that sight in the actual film, but you do get to see Kirsten Dunst's boobs.  How's that for "visually stunning"?