Typically I can find the words to describe how I feel regarding a film as the credits are still rolling on the screen. My mind builds up various thoughts throughout and I cannot wait to unleash them as soon as possible, but I had to sleep on Melancholia before typing up this review. In fact, I'm still not quite sure if I am ready.

A graceful and fascinating look at a subject like depression, I found moments within the film that were utterly spellbinding, and in those moments I was sure I was in love with this work by Von Trier. However, every so often I was forced to question whether the nature of the storytelling and the pacing of…

"The film needs to be slower and duller at the start so that the viewers who walked into the wrong theatre have time to leave before the main action starts."
-Andrei Tarkovsky

An enigmatic feature with wannabe Tarkovskian cinematography, planetary imagery, a classical score and a high-budget-looking Dogme style? Trier must be out of his mind!

Not quite.

Melancholia's two very first shots are references to cinematic influences:

- The first pays respect to L'année dernière à Marienbad (1961).
- The second shot displays the famous painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder entitled Jagers in de Sneeuw (The Hunters in the Snow), previously featured in two Tarkovsky masterpieces.

The film feels, above all, as an attempt to fix the evident…

After watching Another Earth, I figured I kind of had to watch this movie. Both have planets swirling around each other, and disaster may be imminent. Although, in this film, the fate of the Earth is revealed very early on.

Ultimately, this movie is about depression. By the end of the film, I felt I had a somewhat better understanding of what it might be like to have depression. As an introvert, I saw some similarities. For example, my engergy gets drained at large social gatherings (such as, the wedding reception depicted in the film), and I need to take time for myself for a long while to recharge. Hoever, that's where the similarities largely end.

The planet swirling around…

"Antares is no longer there".

I have been going through some stuff lately, and that sure has not helped with my anxiety. This may be a little personal.

I have to say I regret watching this movie right now.

The acting and directing are stellar. The Soundtrack resonates with your soul.
But, most of all, Melancholia captures the sensation of helplessness so masterfully its overwhelming.

This movie burrowed me deeper and further on the psychological mess I find myself in right now.

But... Maybe it was good for me you know? Justine and Claire could represent the two conflicting parts of anybody's psyche, and watching the story unfold, it forced me to face these feelings, as if telling, directly to…