History YMMV / Melancholia

** Cannes juries invoked this. Olivier Assayas, who was one of the Cannes jurors back in 2011, [[https://www.indiewire.com/2020/05/cannes-jury-melancholia-palme-dor-tree-of-life-1202234293/ revealed]] that majority of juries initially wanted to give this movie the festival's top prize [[UsefulNotes/PalmedOr Palme d'Or]]. However, because of von Trier's controversial Nazi remarks along with Jury President Robert De Niro's lack of familiarity with international cinema, the juries decided to give the award to Creator/TerrenceMalick's ''Film/TheTreeOfLife''.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Depending on if they find the protagonists annoying, some people [[RootingForTheEmpire may find themselves rooting for the planet to hurry up and hit the earth]]. Of course, one of the protagonists also finds everything annoying and is rooting for the planet to hurry up and hit the earth.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: As pointed out by [[WebVideo/BrowsHeldHigh Kyle Kallgren]], the film seems to glorify, validate, and romanticize depression as being "correct".

** Cannes juries invoked this. Olivier Assayas, one of the Cannes jurors back in 2011, [[https://www.indiewire.com/2020/05/cannes-jury-melancholia-palme-dor-tree-of-life-1202234293/ revealed]] that majority of juries initially wanted to give this movie the festival's top prize [[UsefulNotes/PalmedOr Palme d'Or]], but because of von Trier's controversial Nazi remarks along with Jury President Robert De Niro's lack of familiarity with international cinema made them decide to give it to Creator/TerrenceMalick's ''Film/TheTreeOfLife''.

** Those with unraised hands, please see BestKnownForTheFanservice.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The first eight minutes, [[spoiler:and the destruction of Earth at the end.]]

** Cannes juries invoked this. Olivier Assayas, one of the Cannes jurors back in 2011, [[https://www.indiewire.com/2020/05/cannes-jury-melancholia-palme-dor-tree-of-life-1202234293/ revealed]] that majority of juries initially wanted to give this movie the festival's top prize [[UsefulNotes/PalmedOr Palme d'Or]], but because of von Trier's controversial Nazi remarks along with Jury President Robert De Niro's lack of familiarity with international cinema made them decide to give it to Creator/TerrenceMalick's ''Film/TheTreeofLife''.

* AwardSnub: This was never the kind of film that the Academy would respond to, but it did appear on many Top 10 lists that year, and quite a number of people thought that Kirsten Dunst would've made for a fine Best Actress nominee. Notably, she actually managed to claim the Best Actress prize at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

** A (formally) depressed director tells a story that features the end of the world, a giant object hitting the earth, and all the main characters have emotional/mental problems... [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion where have I heard that before?]] As if that weren't enough, an instrumental version of "Fly Me To The Moon" plays at one point during the wedding.

* HilariousInHindsight: Sending lanterns with names and heartfelt notes floating into the night is done on Obon -- basically Buddhist Day Of The Dead.

* AngstAversion: For some viewers, the overwrought angst is enough to push the whole thing into {{Narm}} territory.

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The first eight minutes, [[spoiler:and the destruction of Earth at the end.]]

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Justine. Her borderline catatonic and nihilistic state throughout the movie clashes with the ''extremely human'' responses of wishing for safety (John) and trying to protect their child (Claire). Combined with her boinking an ad agent during the first act and mocking her sister's desire f[[spoiler: or a peaceful end]] during the last act, and it's hard to view her as anything but a despicable human being.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Justine. Her borderline catatonic and nihilistic state throughout the movie clashes with the ''extremely human'' responses of wishing for safety (John) and trying to protect their child (Claire). Combined with her boinking an ad agent during the first act, and it's hard to view her as anything but a despicable human being.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Justine. Her borderline catatonic and nihilistic state throughout the movie clashes with the ''extremely human'' responses of wishing for safety (John) and trying to protect their child (Claire). Combined with her boinking an ad agent at the first act, and it's hard to view her as anything but a despicable human being.

* 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.]]
** At crucial times, the sisters try desperately yet fail to cross the bridge separating them from the rest of the world: [[spoiler:Justine, when Claire attempts to cheer her up the morning after her disastrous wedding, and Claire, when she wants to be in the village when Melancholia crashes into Earth.]]

* LoveItOrHateIt: The film is either one of Trier's more emotionally damaging films ever or one of his most annoying due to how ''unlikable'' a majority of the cast are that [[spoiler: you just want the damn planet to come and kill everyone]].

* BestKnownForTheFanservice: Lad magazines say that it's worth watching this [[TrueArtIsAngsty angsty]] and [[TearJerker depressing]] movie just to see Creator/KirstenDunst naked.

* JustForFun/XMeetsY: It's DespairEventHorizon: ''TheMovie'' meets ''Film/DeepImpact''.

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The first eight minutes, [[spoiler:and the destruction of Earth at the end.]]

* FridgeHorror: A mild one, considering the tone of the movie, but [[spoiler: upon discovering that John has committed suicide due to the impending collision, Claire releases his horse, Abraham, and lies to Leo and Justine that John is riding him to the village. Later, when Justine goes to comfort Leo, he's outside...staring at Abraham, who's grazing on the golf course. Leo says his father told him that if Melancholia and Earth do collide, nothing will protect them. He doesn't bring John up again, even when taking shelter in the magic cave with the rest of his family. The implication is that he knew something bad happened to his usually levelheaded father, and probably also suspected that the end was coming. He was certainly strong, but he may not have [[LetThemDieHappy died as peacefully]] as his aunt hoped]]

* LoveItOrHateIt: The film is either one of Treier's more emotionally damaging films ever or one of his most annoying due to how ''unlikable'' a majority of the cast are that [[spoiler: you just want the damn planet to come and kill everyone]].

* LoveItOrHateIt: The film is either one of Treier's more emotionally damaging films ever or one of his most annoying due to how ''unlikable'' a majority of the cast are that you just want the damn planet to come and kill everyone.

* BestKnownForTheFanservice: Lad magazines say that it's worth watching this [[TrueArtIsAngsty angsty]] and [[TearJerker depressing]] movie just to see KirstenDunst naked.

* UnfortunateImplications: As [[WebVideo/BrowsHeldHigh Kyle Kallgren]] points out, ''Melancholia'' glorifies and romanticizes [[UsefulNotes/{{Depression}} depression]].