Search found 1 match: Charlotte Gainsbourg

Lars von Trier's films are always fascinating, and I've enjoyed watching them. But MELANCHOLIA was a film that well and truly THRILLED me--when I first saw it, as the ending approached, as the Wagner slowly grew in intensity, and the fate of the Earth became truly inescapable, my heart pounded in my chest, as I waited to see how, exactly, von Trier would end it. And he did it perfectly, with one of the most sublime endings I've ever seen in a film.

But the ending is not all. Not by a long shot. How some have claimed this film to be boring is beyond me. The first half is a delightful black comedy, as Justine's wedding night crumbles around her--and as she, herself, crumbles. In the second half, as her psychosis intensifies, and the threat to Earth posed by Melancholia becomes apparent, von Trier never flags in his invention or in the clarity of his storytelling. It's a long film, to be sure, but so much is packed into that length that I discuss with friends and family as avidly now as I did after seeing it for the first time.

The performances are brilliant. Kirsten Dunst is miles ahead of anything one might have guessed her capable of, discovering the depths of Justine's character and hitting not a false note. Kiefer Sutherland is no less superb as her smug, snobbish brother-in-law, who takes pride in his meaningless wealth ("We offer our guests an 18-hole golf course. Where else are they going to get that?") and who refuses to consider the possibility of apocalypse--until it's too late. Charlotte Gainsbourg, as Claire (Justine's sister), embodies too the dauntingly wide array of emotions von Trier has given her to play; she is wonderful. Cameron Spurr is excellent as Claire's son, who, in a typical bit of von Trier idiosyncrasy, calls her "Auntie Steelbreaker"; why? Who knows. The supporting cast are all perfect; Stellan and Alexander Skarsgard, John Hurt, Charlotte Rampling, Brady Corbet, Jesper Christiansen, and Udo Kier add, in their own ways, to the film's greatness.

It's a masterful technical accomplishment, too. Manuel Alberto Claro's cinematography is stunning, and von Trier's visual skill is apparent throughout, starting with the breath-taking symbolic prologue and ending with the devastating final shot. The script, needless to say, is a work of genius: quotable, beautifully constructed, with rich characters and fascinating situations...one of von Trier's very best. And what better score could one ask for than Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde" Prelude?

This is, without a doubt, the best film of 2011.