12 Best Sci-Fi Movies You Can Watch Online For FREE

Melancholia doesn't carry the usual hallmarks of a sci-fi film. It's set on contemporary Earth (or something closely resembling it), and there are no futuristic concepts or technologies to be seen or heard. In fact, it's closest analogue would probably be a disaster film. This is, after all, a movie about the impending end-of-the-world, stretching out those last few hours in almost real time as the end of all life inches closer and closer. Given it's directed by Denmark's favorite export Lars Von Trier, this isn't a film for the faint of heart.

Though it might not contain some of the graphic violence and cruelty of his other works, it's no more uplifting or optimistic. In fact, Melancholia might just be one of the single most misanthropic and pessimistic movies ever made. An important line of dialogue from the main character (Kirsten Dunst) is "The earth is evil. We don't need to grieve for it."

However, if you can stand all that, then Melancholia is a completely spellbinding look at depression, and how it can effect and influence one's loved ones. As a woman who's severe and all-consuming melancholia (roll credits) has left her unmoved by the impending death of all mankind, Dunst's performance is utterly captivating and one of the best in her career.

Couple that with Von Trier's usual proclivities for beautiful visuals and music, and you're left with a stark and moving meditation on existentialism and mental illness that's bound to make one reconsider their own relationships.