Melancholia (2011)
78%RT Audience Score: 67%
Awards & Nominations: 35 wins & 95 nominations
Melancholia’s dramatic tricks are more obvious than they should be, but this is otherwise a showcase for Kirsten Dunst’s acting and for Lars von Trier’s profound, visceral vision of depression and destruction
Melancholia is a movie that will make you feel like you’re in a black hole of depression, but in a good way. It’s like watching a beautiful painting of sadness come to life. Kirsten Dunst gives a performance that will make you want to give her a hug and tell her everything will be okay. Lars von Trier is a master of making you feel uncomfortable and uneasy, but you can’t look away. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion, but instead of cars, it’s planets colliding. Overall, if you’re in the mood for a movie that will make you feel all the feels, Melancholia is the one for you.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Tjolöholm Castle, Fjärås, Sweden
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some graphic nudity,sexual content and language
Year of Release
2011
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:2h 15m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 11, 2011 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 13, 2012
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Melancholia, Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Lars von Trier, Meta Louise Foldager, Louise Vesth, drama, R rating, depression, destruction, planet, collision course, sexual content, language, graphic nudity, English, Magnolia Pictures, box office, $3.0M, reviewed by Sara Reihani, Amy Taubin, Lisa Rosman, David Stratton, Bill Goodykoontz, Christine Champ, Dustin Chang, Jordan M Smith, Richard Propes, Tom Meek, CJ Sheu, Kirsten Dunst as Justine, Charlotte Gainsbourg as Claire, Alexander Skarsgård as Michael, Brady Corbet as Tim, Cameron Spurr as Leo, Charlotte Rampling as Gaby, directed by Lars von Trier, written by Lars von Trier, produced by Meta Louise Foldager, Louise Vesth, drama, depression, nihilism, Kirsten Dunst’s acting, Lars von Trier’s vision, provocative, masterpiece, emotional struggle, British accent, slow pace, artsy scenes, psychological exploration, hauntingly beautiful, nihilism, existential exercise, loneliness, disillusionment, fate, visually impressive, beautiful, polarizing reactions, self-serving, storytelling, style, character-driven
Worldwide gross: $17,039,814
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $22,432,879
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,676
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,446,334
US/Canada gross: $3,030,848
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $3,990,105
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,869
US/Canada opening weekend: $257,174
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $338,569
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,504
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $7,400,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $9,742,084
Production budget ranking: 1,687
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $5,246,112
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $7,444,682
ROI to date (est.): 50%
ROI ranking: 1,155
Charlotte Gainsbourg – Claire
Alexander Skarsgård – Michael
Brady Corbet – Tim
Cameron Spurr – Leo
Charlotte Rampling – Gaby
Director – Lars von Trier
Producer – Meta Louise Foldager, Louise Vesth
Writer – Lars von Trier
Director(s)
Lars von Trier
Writer(s)
Lars von Trier
Producer(s)
Meta Louise Foldager, Louise Vesth
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
35 wins & 95 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (207) | Top Critics (69) | Fresh (165) | Rotten (42)
A strangely apt visual representation of depression.
January 9, 2021
Sara Reihani
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
Von Trier creates a blackly comic delirium that is terrifying and completely exhilarating.
August 27, 2019
Amy Taubin
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
In Melancholia, von Trier has created a mission statement of a masterpiece, one that reminds us that nihilism itself can serve as a legitimate form of creation, a means as well as The End.
November 7, 2016
Lisa Rosman
indieWire
TOP CRITIC
Ambitious but very flawed.
December 1, 2011 | Rating: 2.5/5
David Stratton
At the Movies (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
“Melancholia” is a hauntingly beautiful meditation on depression that is as likely to exasperate as many people as it moves.
December 1, 2011 | Rating: 4.5/5
Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
Melancholia floats in an air of supernatural malaise and tension, a melancholy mirrored in everything and everyone.
November 29, 2011 | Rating: A
Christine Champ
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
I think I understand von Trier better after seeing his latest movie. It’s stark, nightmarish and without hope. When it’s all said and done, I have to admit, Melancholia is still an amazingly gripping movie going experience.
March 21, 2021
Dustin Chang
Floating World
The film is, without a doubt, one of 2011’s few undeniable masterpieces.
November 19, 2020
Jordan M. Smith
IONCINEMA.com
Kirsten Dunst, who captured the Best Actress prize at Cannes Film Festival this year for her performance here, easily gives her career best performance.
September 16, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Who else but Lars von Trier could pair such emotionally opposite events and make it an existential exercise in loneliness, disillusionment and fate?
September 10, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day
But, buoyed by the two lead performances, it’s all (barely) worth slogging through to reach that final, haunting shot.
July 1, 2020
CJ Sheu
Review Film Review
This film carefully wrapped me up with a superb performance by Kirsten Dunst. [Full review in Spanish]
June 24, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados…
Plot
On the night of her wedding, Justine (Kirsten Dunst) is struggling to be happy even though it should be the happiest day of her life. It was an extravagant wedding paid for by her sister and brother-in-law who are trying to keep the bride and all the guests in line. Meanwhile, Melancholia, a blue planet, is hurtling towards the Earth. Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), Justine’s sister, is struggling to maintain composure with fear of the impending disaster.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Kirsten Dunst delivers a career-defining performance as a character struggling with depression in Melancholia.
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