It’s no secret that Lars von Trier‘s struggles with depression are a central tenet of his work, and this connection between corrosion and creation was never more fully explicated than in a film titled, of all things, Melancholia. Unfortuantely, as clearly personal as the whole thing is, I’ve never quite found the strength’s of this film’s first half — a very focused and determined bit of work — to pair well with a spottier and, to my mind, more thuddingly obvious second part.
So a video essay that offers trenchant insight into that preferred stretch is a welcome thing — especially when its creator, Evan Puschak (previously featured here), has managed to highlight those deliberate, effective ways von Trier communicated the sense of having an entire world weighing you down. (Before that world collides with a second planet, I guess.) Being that his feelings on the picture seem concurrent with mine, this didn’t change my general feelings on Melancholia, but I nevertheless come away with a greater appreciation of what does function.
Have a look below: