History Film / Melancholia

''Melancholia'' is a 2011 [[JustBeforetheEnd pre-apocalypse]] {{tragedy}} film written and directed by Creator/LarsVonTrier.

A SpeculativeFiction story focuses on the relationship between two sisters, [[SiblingYinYang the pessimistic Justine and the neurotic Claire]], played respectively by Creator/KirstenDunst and Creator/CharlotteGainsbourg. The movie is divided into two parts, the first about Justine's wedding (and its progressive lapse into disarray), and the second about the upcoming fly-by of the rogue planet [[DoubleMeaningTitle Melancholia]] that's drifting through the solar system. The focus lies on how the characters relate to the events surrounding them, from the mundane event of a wedding to the possibility of a planetary collision.

Like Von Trier's [[{{Film/Antichrist}} previous film]], '' Melancholia'' premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, won the Best Actress award for its lead female (Dunst), and became surrounded by considerable controversy. This time, it was a result of Von Trier joking about UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler and UsefulNotes/NaziGermany at a press conference, which led to him being declared a ''[[DudeNotFunny persona non grata]]'' and receiving a 100-meter restraining order from the festival's venue[[note]]In 2017, however, [[http://www.indiewire.com/2017/03/lars-von-trier-the-house-that-jack-built-cannes-1201791773/ this ban might have been lifted]][[/note]].

''Melancholia'' is a 2011 SpeculativeFiction film written and directed by Creator/LarsVonTrier.

It mainly focuses on the relationship between two sisters, [[SiblingYinYang the pessimistic Justine and the neurotic Claire]], played respectively by Creator/KirstenDunst and Creator/CharlotteGainsbourg. The movie is divided into two parts, the first about Justine's wedding (and its progressive lapse into disarray), and the second about the upcoming fly-by of the rogue planet [[DoubleMeaningTitle Melancholia]] that's drifting through the solar system. The focus lies on how the characters relate to the events surrounding them, from the mundane event of a wedding to the possibility of a planetary collision.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: {{Implied|Trope}} when Justine is bathing in Melancholia's light.

-->--'''Gaby'''[[note]]Initially said to Justine about her marriage, later retooled into a {{tagline}} for the film, turning "it" into [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt (life on) Earth]][[/note]]

* KillEmAll: As a result of Melancholia colliding with the Earth.

Like Von Trier's [[{{Film/Antichrist}} previous movie]], '' Melancholia'' premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, won the Best Actress award for its lead female (Dunst), and became surrounded by considerable consternation. This time, it was a result of Von Trier joking about UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler and UsefulNotes/NaziGermany at a press conference, which led to him being declared a ''[[DudeNotFunny persona non grata]]'', essentially giving him a 100-meter restraining order from the festival's venue[[note]]In 2017, however, [[http://www.indiewire.com/2017/03/lars-von-trier-the-house-that-jack-built-cannes-1201791773/ this ban might have been lifted]][[/note]].

* MelancholyMoon: Melancholia is this turned UpToEleven, especially to Justine.

Like Von Trier's [[{{Film/Antichrist}} previous movie]], '' Melancholia'' premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, won the Best Actress award for its lead female (Dunst), and became surrounded by considerable consternation. This time, it was a result of Von Trier joking about UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler and UsefulNotes/NaziGermany at a press conference, which led to him being declared a ''[[DudeNotFunny persona non grata]]'', essentially giving him a 100-meter restraining order from the festival's venue[[note]]In 2017 however, [[http://www.indiewire.com/2017/03/lars-von-trier-the-house-that-jack-built-cannes-1201791773/ this ban might have been lifted]][[/note]].

Like Von Trier's [[{{Film/Antichrist}} previous movie]], '' Melancholia'' premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and would go on to win the Best Actress award for its lead female (Dunst) and become surrounded by some consternation. This time, it was a result of Von Trier joking about UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler and UsefulNotes/NaziGermany at a press conference, which led to him being declared a ''[[DudeNotFunny persona non grata]]'', essentially giving him a 100-meter restraining order from the festival's venue[[note]]In 2017 however, [[http://www.indiewire.com/2017/03/lars-von-trier-the-house-that-jack-built-cannes-1201791773/ this ban might have been lifted]][[/note]].

** Melancholia's trajectory – first crossing Earth's orbit in a flyby, then receding, only to approach Earth again, while Earth's orbit doesn't change at all – suggests that Melancholia actually experienced sufficient gravitational pull while passing Earth to knock the former out of its orbit. This would imply that Melancholia's mass is ''much'' smaller than the Earth's (i.e. even smaller than that of Earth's moon). However, in the opening montage we see that [[spoiler:Earth ''shatters'' at the impact, while Melancholia doesn't experience any sort of noteworthy deformation, which in turn would suggest that Melancholia is either massive, has a very dense crust or an atmosphere that's sufficiently dense that it could crush the Earth. Either possibility implies that Melancholia's mass is ''huge''. It also has sufficient mass to pull on a noticeably visible amount of Earth's atmosphere even while flying by at a "safe" distance.]]

** The film presents direct collision as the only danger Melancholia poses to Earth. However, even a flyby could potentially be disastrous. It might "slingshot" the Earth out of orbit, and the tidal forces could also wreak havoc, depending on Melancholia's mass.
** Melancholia's trajectory – first crossing Earth's orbit in a flyby, then receding, only to approach Earth again, while Earth's orbit doesn't change at all – suggests that Melancholia actually experienced sufficient gravitational pull while passing Earth to knock the former out of its orbit. This would imply that Melancholia's mass is ''much'' smaller than the Earth's (i.e. even smaller than that of Earth's moon). However, in the opening montage we see that [[spoiler:Earth ''shatters'' at the impact, while Melancholia doesn't experience any sort of noteworthy deformation, which in turn would suggest that Melancholia is either massive, has a very dense crust or an atmosphere that's sufficiently dense that it could crush the Earth. Either possibility implies that Melancholia's mass is ''huge''. It also has sufficient mass to sap Earth's atmosphere even while flying by at a "safe" distance.]]

It mainly focuses on the relationship between [[SiblingYinYang two sisters, the pessimistic Justine and the neurotic Claire]], played by Creator/KirstenDunst and Creator/CharlotteGainsbourg. The movie is divided into two parts, the first about Justine's wedding (and its progressive lapse into disarray), and the second about the upcoming fly-by of the rogue planet [[DoubleMeaningTitle Melancholia]] that's drifting through the solar system. The focus lies on how the characters relate to the events surrounding them, from the mundane event of a wedding to the possibility of a planetary collision.

* {{Homage}}: The image of Justine floating down the stream in her dress with a bouquet is inspired by John Everett Millais' 1852 painting "Ophelia".

* TallDarkAndSnarky: Justine and Claire's mom. She thinks everything about the wedding (including the guests, her family, and the very tradition of weddings) is stupid, and when she sneaks off to take a bath in the middle of the reception (coincidentally [[NotSoDifferent at the same time as Justine]]) she notes that (paraphrased) "I wasn't there for her first execration, I wasn't there for her first intercourse, and I don't need to be here for this". At one point Claire quietly wonders why she even came.

* ArtisticLicenseAstronomy: Abounds in the logistics of Melancholia. von Trier has admittedly mentioned he was never interested in depicting the astronomical events accurately.

* AbsentAliens: Justine claims that humanity is alone in the universe as part of her increasing depression. Of course she has no way of actually knowing this, insisting that she just "knows".

* BittersweetEnding: One that simultaneously leans ''heavy'' on the "bitter" side and functions as von Trier's happiest ending, which [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism says a lot about him as a filmmaker]]. [[spoiler: Everyone dies, but Justine is able to come to a kind of peace with herself in the face of the apocalypse, and create a way for her sister and nephew to be together at the end.]]

* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler:The specific manner in which Justine, Claire and Leo are offed is via incineration by the wall of fire created when Earth and Melancholia collide.]]

* OnlySaneWoman: Played with in regards to Justine's character arc; while she starts the film as the odd one out due to her intensifying depression, [[spoiler:her complete acceptance of Earth's impending destruction actually makes her look level-headed compared to Claire and John's freakouts]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tvtropes_9.jpg]]

It mainly focuses on the relationship between [[SiblingYinYang two sisters, Justine and Claire]], played by Creator/KirstenDunst and Creator/CharlotteGainsbourg. The movie is divided into two parts, the first about Justine's wedding (and its progressive lapse into disarray), and the second about the upcoming fly-by of the rogue planet [[DoubleMeaningTitle Melancholia]] that's drifting through the solar system. The focus lies on how the characters relate to the events surrounding them, from the mundane event of a wedding to the possibility of a planetary collision.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: Played straight with [[spoiler:Justine and Leo]], averted with [[spoiler:Claire]]. Their final moments are consistent with their character; [[spoiler:Justine is apathetic towards the collision, and Leo (while afraid at one point) is able to seek comfort in Justine, while Claire is openly distraught and flinches at the last second as the wall of fire created in the collision sweeps over them]].

-->--'''Gaby'''[[note]]Initially said to Justine about her marriage, later retooled into a {{tagline}} for the film, turning "it" into [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Earth]][[/note]]

It mainly focuses on the relationship between the [[SiblingYinYang two sisters Justine and Claire]], played by Creator/KirstenDunst and Creator/CharlotteGainsbourg. The movie is divided into two parts, the first about Justine's wedding, the second about the upcoming fly-by of the rogue planet [[DoubleMeaningTitle Melancholia]] that's drifting through the solar system. The focus lies on how the characters relate to the events surrounding them, from the mundane event of a wedding to the possibility of a planetary collision.

Like Von Trier's [[{{Film/Antichrist}} previous movie]], '' Melancholia'' was surrounded by some consternation at the Cannes Film Festival. Von Trier's jokes about UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler and UsefulNotes/NaziGermany resulted in him being declared a ''[[DudeNotFunny persona non grata]]''[[note]]In 2017 however, [[http://www.indiewire.com/2017/03/lars-von-trier-the-house-that-jack-built-cannes-1201791773/ this ban might have been lifted]][[/note]]. Dunst's performance was praised, however, and she walked away with the Best Actress Award.

* ForegoneConclusion: Melancholia hits Earth. Von Trier deliberately showed this right away because he didn't want suspense to be the point of the audience's experience.

* ShoutOut: The whole movie is basically a shout-out to ''When Worlds Collide'' set in the 2000s, only told from the perspective of ordinary people. [[spoiler:There's a flyby, a HopeSpot, then the realization that the collision will happen after all and Earth (and they) are finished.]]

* EverybodyDies: ''Duh...''

* KillEmAll

[[caption-width-right:350:[-"[[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Life is only on Earth. And not for long.]]"-] ]]


''Melancholia'' is a 2011 SpeculativeFiction film written and directed by Creator/LarsVonTrier. It mainly focuses on the relationship between the [[SiblingYinYang two sisters Justine and Claire]], played by Creator/KirstenDunst and Creator/CharlotteGainsbourg. The movie is divided into two parts, the first about Justine's wedding, the second about the upcoming fly-by of the rogue planet [[DoubleMeaningTitle Melancholia]] that's drifting through the solar system. The focus lies on how the characters relate to the events surrounding them, from the mundane event of a wedding to the possibility of a planetary collision.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: Played straight with [[spoiler:Justine and Leo]], subverted with [[spoiler:Claire]]. Their final moments are consistent with their character; [[spoiler:Justine is apathetic towards the collision, and Leo (while afraid at one point) is able to seek comfort in Justine, while Claire is openly distraught and flinches at the last second as the wall of fire created in the collision sweeps over them]].

-->'''Justine''': The Earth is evil. We don't need to grieve for her.

* RunawayBride: Not so much running away as falling apart at the seams.

* ShoutOut: The whole movie is basically a shout-out to ''When Worlds Collide'' set in the 2000s, only told from the perspective of ordinary people. There's a flyby, a HopeSpot, then the realization that the collision will happen after all and Earth (and they) are finished.
** The name 'Justine' was taken from the (in)famous Creator/MarquisDeSade novel, ''Justine, or the Misfortunes of Virtue''

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Pretty much breaks the scale on the cynicism side. It doesn't really matter that the world is going to end and possibly all life in the universe will be extinguished; life is so shitty and devoid of meaning that it's a good, perhaps even beautiful thing. Sort of justified, in that the whole scenario is a metaphor for depression, except that the director is pretty much romanticizing it with this film.

* ThousandYardStare: Justine.

* TwoActStructure: Both chapters differ in mood.
* UnableToCry: Justine only starts to cry when she's comforting her nephew.
* WeirdMoon: Melancholia, again.

* ArtisticLicenseAstronomy: Von Trier has mentioned he was never interested in depicting the astronomical events accurately.

** The film presents the only danger Melancholia poses to Earth is by direct collision. However, even a flyby could potentially be disastrous. It might "slingshot" the Earth out of orbit, and the tidal forces could also wreak havoc, depending on Melancholia's mass.

* BigScrewedUpFamily: "Is everyone in your family stark raving mad?"
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Everyone dies, but Justine is able to come to a kind of peace with herself in the face of the apocalypse, and create a way for her sister and nephew to be together at the end. Von Trier has said it's the happiest ending he's ever written.]]
* BlessedWithSuck: Von Trier basically explores the idea how people with depression can function better than others under certain circumstances. Such as Justine and Claire, where the former is eerily calmed and the latter is breaking down [[spoiler:as Melancholia hits.]]
* {{Bookends}}: [[spoiler: The opening montage shows Earth crashing into Melancholia. The movie ends with a view from the surface.]]

* CrapsackWorld

** "Sometimes, I really hate you, Justine." [[spoiler:Both times said by Claire; first in anger, then in sadness.]]

* RuleOfSymbolism: Throughout the movie, John repeatedly mentions that his estate has an eighteen-hole golf course. [[spoiler:When Claire and Leo are unable to leave the estate towards the end, Claire carries Leo across the golf course, passing a flag marking the nineteenth hole. The nineteenth hole is a term for a pub or clubhouse where golfers drink after the game, often found near or on the course itself.]]

* DisabilitySuperpower: The clinically depressed main character is apparently omniscient.

* FanDisservice: Given what her character's going through and also the tone of the film, Kirsten Dunst's nude scenes are not supposed to be sexy. You have to give credit for Kirsten going further than she's ever been in her career, though.

** "Sometimes, I really hate you, Justine."
* MelancholyMoon: Melancholia is this TurnedUpToEleven, especially to Justine.

* RightThroughHisPants

* RunningGag: The wedding planner played by Udo Kier who shields Justine's face from his vision every time he passes by.

* DownerEnding: Trier himself taglined the film with "No more happy endings!" That's saying something!
** BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Everyone dies, but Justine is able to come to a kind of peace with herself in the face of the apocalypse, and create a way for her sister and nephew to be together at the end. Von Trier has said it's the happiest ending he's ever written.]]

* EarthShatteringKaboom

* {{Homage}}: The image of Justine floating down the stream in her dress with a bouquet is inspired by John Everett Millais' 1852 painting "Ophelia"

* LighterAndSofter: Only and ''only'' when compared to the [[{{Film/Antichrist}} preceding film]] in Lars von Trier's "Depression Trilogy".[[note]]At least this movie doesn't have self-eviscerating foxes in it...[[/note]]

* MeaningfulEcho: "I'm scared." [[spoiler: First said by Justine, when confiding in her mother about her marriage; then by Leo to Justine, as Melancholia re-approaches Earth.]]

* CosmicPlaything: As recognized by Justine.
* CounterEarth