Melancholia opened at the 64th Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews and immediate awards predictions. Though the ripples from that initial splash may have died down quicker than expected, the movie still holds all of the allure of a very bold effort from a very bold filmmaker. The story revolves around two sisters, Justine and Claire, played by Kirsten Dunst (in one of her best roles) and Charlotte Gainsbourg (Lars von Trier regular), respectively. Justine is newly married, and Claire is likewise in a loving relationship. All is well...oh, except for the fact that a rogue planet is going to collide with Earth and destroy it forever. Lars von Trier is, again, an extremely bold filmmaker - his new release Nymphomaniac promises a healthy dose of unhealthy sex, and his 2009 film Antichrist is one of the most appalling things ever released in cinemas. By those standards, Melancholia is nearly "normal". Still, it's a deeply-felt film that touches on important emotional and psychological issues, and even if you're as turned off by it as von Trier intends you to be, you'll still find yourself thinking about it in the days and weeks to come.
