10 Great Sci-Fi Movies For The Modern Age

6. Melancholia

Much of Melancholia takes place on a couple’s wedding night, we see the familiar tropes of the disgruntled in-laws, the happy, if slightly exacerbated newly weds and the catering staff who are watching the clock waiting for it all to be over - be careful what you wish for. As the wedding progresses we get the sense that something is off with the bride Justine (Kirsten Dunst), she appears distracted, disengaged, on another planet at times. It appears she knows something we don’t.

That something is that Melancholia, a rogue planet, is going to collide with earth. Others are convinced it will brush right by and see it as just a conversation piece, and that’s how it functions for much of the film. The subject of Melancholia orbits the story quietly in the background as we zero in on Justine’s relationship with her new husband, but it seems she’s already weighed down by the pull of Melancholia.

The film uses something out of this world (a literal other planet) to intensify an experience that is uniquely human. Director Lars von Trier said the film was spawned from a depressive episode he suffered, and it seems to permeate the film’s dream- like atmosphere of doom punctuated by existential crises. We can see this in Justine’s behaviour throughout, she retreats into herself only to act impulsive and rash at other times, she seems hopeless, manic and resigned to her fate all at once.

Melancholia shows a trend for character-driven sci-fi. The fantastical elements are hidden within a story of interpersonal relationships. The impending armageddon sharpens the nuances of human existence to a level that couldn’t be reached in your average drama.