2011. Dir: Lars von Trier. Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgård and Stellan Skarsgård. ●●●●○
Man’s place within the Universe is a hot topic with auteurs this year, first Terence Malick persuades us that we are both insignificant yet fundamentally connected to the whole, that we are both a servant of and a centrepiece to the will of a creator. Now we have Lars von Trier rejecting the notion, instead reminding us of our helplessness against an impassive and intransigent galactic system. In Melancholia von Trier adds "The Universe is Evil" to his "Nature is Satan's Church" Antichrist quote to confirm his extreme nihilism and phobia of the natural world.
I'm being disingenuous though as the movie is not about the end of the world, as much as the plot is driven by the cataclysmic event, instead it's about how depression upends your world view such that ostensibly joyous events (like the Wedding reception that plays through the first half) can trigger deep periods of malaise whereas the forthcoming interplanetary apocalypse gives the depressive an opportunity to display vital stoicism. It's the cinematic evidence that a pessimist is never disappointed.
The film bravely opens with slow-motion dreamlike surrealist shots heavily underscored with Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde". Some of these images - such as Charlotte Gainsbourg sinking into the green of the 19th hole, clasping her son in her arms - will be repeated as the titular blue planet rushes to collide with Earth albeit in a less idealized way, others are pure fantasy, echoing the mental state of Kirsten Dunst's Justine, like the poster image of Dunst in her wedding dress helplessly drifting downstream in an image reminiscent of Millais's "Ophelia...", a romanticised portrait of suicide Justine will later open during an art appreciation based tantrum. A few of the shots slow the inexorable and inevitable collision, with the music finally being drowned out by the bass rumble of Earth being shattered.
We cut to Dunst and her recently betrothed, Alexander Skarsgård, in the back of an impossible stretch limo, giggling and obviously deeply in love as the driver fails to negotiate twisty drive leading to Keifer Sutherland's grotesquely opulent mansion and the Wedding reception held within. As the two lovers eventually give up and arrive on foot you rather wish they had just backed out and gone straight on Honeymoon. Instead they stumble into a vipers nest of guests, each nipping away at each other and at the bride, reducing her confidence and stability until she has no choice but to surrender to the negative impulses within.
Whether it's smary, Machiveliian boss Stellan Skarsgård, orchestrating a network of spies to close around Justine's every utterance, her drunken letch of a father (John Hurt), her bitterly divorced mother (Charlotte Rampling, struggling to cope with some dreadfully clunky dialogue) or even the loving sister Gainsbourg, who will forgive every negative impulse Justine has but not without griping at her for having them.
Skarsgård jr. does his best to keep Justine on side, by turns utilising patience, bribery and physical comedy, indeed it's hard to see why anyone could not fall in love with this gorgeous and sensitive suitor. But then it's not the depth of their feelings that are in question, instead it's the gnawing feeling of unworthiness that chews on Justine's mind, she makes decisions, acts of commission and omission that deliberately drive a wedge between the two of them. And later when he eventually gives up her simple comment "What did you expect" could be seen as both triumphant and reconciled.
The second half sees a shift in the story as we concentrate on hitherto sensible sister Claire (Gainsbourg), with only her pragmatic husband (Keifer) impressionable son and the virtually catatonic Justine she awaits the arrival of 'Melancholia', mourning the loss of her child's future and slowly fragmenting in panic. As the end gets closer we eventually see the roles of the two sisters completely reversed, I won't spoil the final shot (yes, the World ends but there's more to it than that) but it beautifully encapsulates their new found emotional states.
The scene composition throughout the movie is incredible, with von Trier proving he is at home with complex special effects as he is with a bare stage. Melancholia, with all it's physics and complexity, is stunningly visualised, as the family stay up to watch the planet rise over the horizon you too will marvel at it's passage and the twin shadows against the moon.
The script is a little too obvious at times, with a couple of scenes jumping out as downright clunky, especially the Wedding speeches (each character essentially states what they feel rather than revealing in in subtext) and there's a chat between Justine and Claire towards the end that seems terribly forced. But beyond that it's difficult to find criticism for this movie. Kiki is fantastic in the role of Justine, finally proving to the critics what a versatile and committed performer she is. The other element that stood out for me was the sound design and editing, which really draws the narrative. From the panicky whinnying of the horses to the whoosh of Melancholia in the sky and from full pelt Wagner to terrible silences you could close your eyes, remove the dialogue and still understand the tragedy of the central story.
Overall I would have to say this is one of the most fulfilling and baffling cinematic experiences of the year, and one I would recommend. But don't ever trust von Trier, he puts enough clues in the film to know when he's lying to us, as I have in this review.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Melancholia
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Thor
2011. Dir: Kenneth Branagh. Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston and Stellan Skarsgaard. ●●●●○
The dominance of Marvel comics over the summer schedules for 2011 has got off to a good start with the fun and gorgeously designed Thor. Hopefully for them they can keep the ball in the air with the rest of the slate which now has a lot to live up to.
The film opens with a piece of Lord of the Rings style backstory with Sir Anthony Hopkins booming out the relationship between the Norse mythology, our Godlike heroes of the film and the villainous Frost Giants. It's a tale of bloody combat with the Frost Giants virtually totally annihilated and Odin's (the king of the Gods and father to Thor) appetite for war spent. So far so medieval monarchy, you could transplant Odin for any European king in the dark ages, any anti-hero from Jacobean theatrical tradition and his motivations would be a perfect fit, suddenly the decision to hire Kenneth Branagh as director makes perfect sense.
Flash forward many centuries (the Gods appear to age slower than men, although this leaves a small plot hole where a very young Thor would not have made an impact enough to be written about by ancient Scandinavian cultures) where Thor, all smirking self-confidence and irritatingly impatient, is about to attend his coronation. A small team of Frost Giants break into the Asgardian vaults so Thor mounts a war party to seek revenge for this infringement. For this thoughtless lack of diplomacy Odin banishes his firstborn to Earth with his mighty hammer and the hope that he'll learn some humility and the concept of self-sacrifice.
The film then breaks into two parallel storylines. In one, a delightful New Mexico set comedy, Thor is getting to grips with life on Earth and falling for Astro-physicist Natalie Portman, whilst in the other Odin's other son, Loki, is plotting and schemeing his way onto the throne of Asgard.
Chris Hemsworth gives a solid central performance, cocky and unlikeable in the first act, he shows great comic timing in his interactions with the mortals and even when he's given awful dialogue (there are some strange phrases that seem neither Asgardian in tone or like someone trying to fit in) he commits so much it works. When he goes into a pet shop it's a great comic scene that sells the character and his relationship with the world around him. Plus he is extraordinarily cut. Portman doesn't have much to do, sure she comes across much better than most Marvel heroines, clearly able to hold her own intellectually with the rest of the characters and doesn't have a scene where she needs to be rescued, however she mainly spouts unlikely scientific statements and builds up a desire for Thor. The other earthbound cast are fine, Stellan Skarsgaard and Kat Dennings as Portman's colleagues are great value, with the former particularly struggling to keep a straight face.
There are so many characters in Asgard few of them get enough of an opportunity to build character, only Tom Hiddleston's Loki with his multiple Machiavellian schemes (it's truly difficult to keep track on what he's actually doing) displays any conflicting emotion and whilst he did the job well here I think there's more and better work coming from the young Brit. Idris Elba, as gatekeeper Heimdall, was wasted in a role that promised much but I suspect was left partly on the cutting room floor. On that note at 114 minutes, including a pointless post credits extra scene with Samuel L. Jackson; just pointing the way to The Avengers heavyhanded given the few chucklesome mentions of other characters which had slipped in the script ("Is that Stark technology?", "I have a colleague working on Gamma Radiation" etc.), the time flew by and I wouldn't be surprised if there's a significant number of deleted scenes once the DVD roles around.
Branagh shows a sure hand with the comic and Asgard formal scenes, clearly using all his experience from adapting Shakespeare, and he is surprisingly adept with the action set-pieces I found I knew exactly what was going on during them, however there is a slight issue with the character, if you know Thor cannot be killed as he is a God then the tension is drained. Only the final battle in Asgard surprised me in it's conclusion, and it's clearly open for a sequel I just hope that possibility isn't just dusted over in The Avengers.
My major complaint about Thor is the totally unnecessary 3D filming. Not only does very little happen that justifies the additional expense, but the murkiness of watching through glasses totally ruins the spectacular design of Asgard. I can honestly say that watching the trailer on my cheap laptop was a superior experience because of the bright and crisp colours that watching the print at the cinema. Alexandra Byrne's costumes and Bo Welch's production design deserve so much more than showing the film in 3D.
Overall I'd say Thor is well worth the trip to the cinema. Sure it's no X2 but it's a fun comic book adaptation with some fine performances that will keep you entertained throughout. That said do your best to watch in 2D.
