MovieChat Forums > Melancholia (2011) Discussion > This art film is literally pretentious n...

This art film is literally pretentious nonsense


Before anyone throws stones at me for criticizing Melancholia, learn that I am a film-geek (watched over 1000+ films), I love fantasy & philosophical films, I've watched a few other Lars Von Trier films including Nymphomaniac and I actually liked a couple of them, I am aware of Von Trier's avant-garde filmmaking style and his mental health issues, I am a sufferer of a mental health condition myself, and I have a degree in philosophy; therefore I am not a layman and I am used to esoteric works. HOWEVER, for the life of me, I could NOT understand what Melancholia was actually about! Although the majority of information on the internet hints at being a metaphor for depression, this film does not merely conveys the struggles of a depression sufferer and its consequences. Justine's mental decay is obvious and Von Trier included in her character some of his own depression symptoms: loss of taste, sleepiness, sheer calmness under stressful and heavy pressure situations etc. If the film had stopped there in terms of plot, it would have been an understandable drama about a woman going through some mental difficulties. But the inclusion of a fictitious planet colliding with Earth and killing everybody - event that has as side effects: heavy breathing, suicide, laying nude on a rock and touching yourself in the middle of the night - is so nonsensical, illogical, absurd and far-fetched that it completely transforms the whole plot and it shifts attention from Justine's condition to astrophysics in a way that few would understand. It's like what the Star Wars version of Titanic would be like, or something like that. By that, I mean two completely unrelated topics put together in a film neutralizes the potential of it. Not only Melancholia is not linear, but it proves to be so out of order it makes the watcher frustrated and exasperated for it to be over.

What did YOU understand about Melancholia?

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It is the most beautiful film ever made. You must have poor taste

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But ... but...

the OP is a film geek and has seen over 1000 movies so they MUST be an expert!

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“If one devalues rationality, the world tends to fall apart.”

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Either you made money on this steamy pile or lost money on it.

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Ignore the other two morons who have ignorantly commented... I fully agree that Lars Von Trier is an overrated filmmaker... I liked a few of his earlier films... but "Melancholia" is completely pretentious and overrated.

And before some other "lame brains" comment... I'm a big fan of "truly artsy" filmmakers... such as "Luis Buñuel", "Pier Paolo Pasolini", "Andrei Tarkovsky", "David Lynch", etc. etc. etc.

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THANK YOU! 

And thanks for the other recommendations. I'll check them out!

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No worries... I highly recommend checking out 'Ingmar Bergman' (greatest director of all time, IMO)

Just be aware that his films must be watched with the original Swedish language track (with English subtitles)... all the best 'artsy' films are in foreign languages.

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Ingmar Bergman aka The most overrated director of all time.

“If one devalues rationality, the world tends to fall apart.”

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I find it amusing how names no one really knows about or cares about are so praised, yet Steven Spielberg movies don't require you to contort your sense of pleasure to subtle inferred nuance, which is most likely veiled pretentiousness, after all, so called higher art creators have gotten away with their "rebellious" some say pretentious visions, and yet made it to the top without being genuinely challenged by their work. I remember the time when the electricity failed on all of the vehicles on Jurassic Park, how each scene reflected the reality of the situation, devolving from comical campy humor, to down right horrifying, the events that happened on screen did not take a "trained" eye to interpret, it unfolded in a succinct and correct manner without the use of high art themes, that imo are just collections of ideas thought up by taking the typical narrative and carving it up with a box cutter, and sort of arranging things together in a pattern afterwards which is equivalent to a LSD trip or a intense narcolepsy patient watching a movie. When did well arranged piles of junk become sophisticated?

Strap Yourselves in this flights gonna suck, and we don't serve peanuts.-Lt. Hawkes 58th Wildcards

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On the nosey! Should have been named Tiresome.

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my understanding of Melancholia is how the two sisters change roles in the given situation. Justine is mired in depression while Claire overfunctions to perfection. slowly, they orbit each other, and faced with utter destruction, Justine finds herself finally perfect to handle the situation while her sister falls apart, Justine takes care of her sister and nephew at the end. because sometimes things feel like the end of the world, a there's a massive weight coming down that no one seems to want to see, and really all one can do at that point is to simply exist. Justine finds that peace and shares it with her sister and nephew.

John lost control. he had control of his money and his science, but nothing could save him or his family, so he just ... stopped. he no longer could ... anything.

the husband, leaving after a few rebukes, with his parents? pure cowardice.

the boss? pure obliviousness.

basically as with all films it's a story about people, but LVT throws in a beautiful planet, gorgeous and horrifying images, uses great music to its best advantage, and poof! it becomes an opera. I like it.

__________
7even days

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"I have a degree in philosophy; therefore I am not a layman and I am used to esoteric works."

Please let this be sarcasm.

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