Melancholia, a 2011 film written and directed by Lars von Trier, is billed as "A Beautiful Movie About the End of the World." We agree - but for us, Melancholia stands out from other movies not because of the plot (this is not your typical disaster movie, trust us) but because of the stunning visuals. Although lead actress Kirsten Dunst won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for the film, we can't help but feel that her (albeit impressive) performance was a little upstaged by the combination of directing by Lars von Trier, cinematography by Manuel Alberto Claro, and art direction by Simone Grau. The Ophelia reference aside (the first picture below that was used to market the film), the visuals throughout the film (especially in the first 15 minutes) blew us away. This is something we haven't seen for a long time, and we hope it inspires filmmakers to remember that film is a powerful art form, not just a way to make money by producing less-than-inspiring, blockbuster films for the masses.
To read more about Melancholia, click here.
Images via
1. Melancholia website 2. hnphim.com 3. About.com 4. Screened 5. Zap 2 It 6. The Neat House blog 7. Movies Pad 8. Film O Filia