This film got way under my skin. It is told in two chapters, each named for the sister being studied at the time. Justine (beautifully done by Kirsten Dunst) the younger and Claire the older (played by the fantastic Charlotte Gainsbourg) are together for the end of the world. Imagine waking up one day to find a new star in the sky -- well, a new planet possibly. It's been named "Melancholia" and we're told by Claire's husband throughout (an undaunted Keifer Sutherland) that it will come close but ultimately pass Earth. But the prologue shows us Melancholia hitting the Earth, and so we watch with greater tension. This works as a sci-fi/fantasy film or a straight drama. Remember, von Trier is a rather surrealist director and you're never sure where he's going. Therefore, its meaning is open to interpretation -- and of that type I'm a big fan. A near-perfect film.