From the opening moments of Lars VonTrier's latest film MELANCHOLIA (2011), I was hooked. The exquisite extreme slow motion movement is beautifully orchestrated by Wagner's Prelude to Tristan and Isolde . We see a bride moving as roots tear at her feet, a mother clutching a child, a horse laying down all as two planets come hurtling toward one another to the inevitable end - the consumption of one planet by another. It's only later that we learn the larger planet is Melancholia and it is headed toward Earth; because after this beautiful prologue we are thrust into the marriage of Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgard)*. Justine and Michael are late for the very elaborate reception being hosted by Justine's sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and her husband John (Kiefer Sutherland). As the evening rolls on, it's clear that Claire is hanging on by the thinnest of threads and Claire and John are frustrated by her reluctance to put on a goo...
A collection of musings and writings on my life, my loves, my movies, my friends, my family. My view - from my couch.