Movie review - Antichrist

I'm not sure how I missed this movie - it came out in 2009, and I'm a fan of Lars von Trier. My friend told me about it this week, and she knows my tastes very well.

It didn't disappoint.

The story is about a couple who, while making love, lose their only toddler son to a horrific accident. In an effort to save his wife from drowning in grief, the husband suggests they get away to their cabin in the woods, called Eden. He's a therapist and is going to try exposure therapy on her.

I guess exposure would be one of the overarching themes in this film - physical, behavioral, mental.

It's a horror movie, hands down, and a good one. But it also has an interesting fairytale element to it also. After I watched it I searched for reviews to help explain a little of the more odd scenes (fawn, fox, crow). There's a lot of imagery to this film. It's beautiful, foreboding, terrifying, and sinister.

As with most von Trier films, the cinematography is astounding, as is his use of music. If you've seen Melancholia, he uses the same type of slow-mo intro. Powerful.

I like how raw Charlotte Gainsbourg is in her acting. I often wonder if she doesn't just pull from real life when she inhabits her characters - her performances never feel contrived or overly dramatic, just natural.

Willem Dafoe was decent. He isn't someone I care to watch, but did a fine job with his reserved style.

It has many sexually explicit scenes, one within the first couple minutes in the opening of the film.

Two thumbs up for this one. Streaming on Netflix.

Movie Review - Melancholia

Melancholia is, by far, my favorite Von Trier film. And, by far, one of my favorite films of the year.

I'm a "light" fan of Kirsten Dunst, meaning I enjoy her acting but will not rush to see her in a film. There has to be more than just KiKi to get me excited.

After this film, I've changed my tune towards her acting. She was superb. Portraying a character who suffers from mental illness and has a major depressive episode is something she does deftly. There is no victim or hero in her character - she is who she is, and it's clearly evident in her portrayal. What I most loved about her in this film is how seamlessly she transitioned between scenes & showing the audience her feelings - she made a connection with the audience (me) that I search for from main characters in most films and am usually let down.

Supportive characters Kiefer Sutherland, Stellan Skarsgard, Alexander Skarsgard, John Hurt and Charlotte Rampling all give very good performances - they are woven into the story perfectly, and however short their face-time, they are definitive to the story. No fodder at all - very rich, tasty treats that pop up throughout.

Charlotte Gainsbourg as Kirsten's sister, did a fine job of playing a sister dealing with a broken family, while trying to keep her own afloat. If anyone is a victim here, it's her, by all counts - of herself, mostly. While Kirsten is the main play, Charlotte could be considered a second main - the film is broken down into two parts, "Justine" which is Kirsten's character, and "Claire", which is Charlotte's character.

The cinematography is breathtaking - I know this sounds corny but if there is a better word for how lush this entire movie feels, give it to me and I'll gladly use it. The opening scenes, however "artsy" you may categorize them, are like melted warm butter for your eyes. The music that permeates the film is fitting, like a warm onesy for the adult movie-goer. It's a combination that is intoxicating.

I gush. I know. But I truly liked this film.

It was filmed in Sweden, primarily at Tjolöholm Castle, which is on my list of places on earth I must visit. It's like a dream. Really. It is.

The plot is this - Kirsten's character getting married, and at the same time a planet called Melancholia "might" be hurtling towards a collision with earth. Angst, and more angst, horseback riding, marriage strife, meals on the terrace, a potential deadly world event, a couple baths, and the end. If you want more deets, go here.

I'm not going to spoil this for you by giving away the very surprising ending. What I will say is that this movie is a journey. It is spying inside the mind of mental illness. It is spying inside of failed and flawed marriages. It is peeking behind the curtain of a filmmaker's dreamscape. And I'm so glad that Von Trier decided to share this with us.

It is also a disaster film, but maybe not in the true meaning of the word.

Check it out.