depression doesn't just slow time down it can speed days up, in fact feeling how fast time goes by can put you on downer.

The wedding scene was almost painful for me to watch because it reflected how depression feels so well. Everyone is smiling and happy and you're just waiting for it to end but it drags on and on.

Lot of people forget this film is about two mental illnesses. Justine represents major depressive disorder (MDD), which is explored extremely well in the first part, which happens to be named Justine. As a result, MDD is dominant in part one. You covered the depression side very well, so I won't go over it more here. But you completely missed that Claire represents generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which is explored prominently and beautifully in part two, to the point that I am sure the planet is just a huge metaphor for the overwhelming worry and horror experienced by people with GAD. Part two also happens to be named 'Claire'. Once I realized that each part explores a different mental illness, my opinion on this film changed completely, and I can understand part two far better than before. The only issue I have is that this isn't made as obvious, because Justine doesn't vanish in part two, and as a result people still think the movie is still about her when it isn't; she's no longer the main character. At the same time, I think it's good she didn't vanish, because it shows the difference between people with MDD and GAD, where was when Claire is terrified of the planet, Justine finds it very beautiful because she is so depressed she would almost gladly welcome death. The movie in the end is about depression AND anxiety.

Depression is often saddled with the overwhelming feeling of guilt. Where all of the people around you just want you to snap out of it and be happy.

When shes talking about food and she says "it tastes like ashes," that part has stuck with me after all these years.

I felt the groom was actually keenly aware of Justine’s illness, and was trying to detach from it; pretend it’s not there. He surprises her with a photograph of the apple orchard on the home he’d purchased for them, saying it’ll be a beautiful place for her to sit. There’s a loving sadness here. He knows she’s fallen apart, maybe irreversibly. It’s almost like he’s showing her a picture of a hospice where she’ll be cared for until her inevitable passing. He loves her, and thinks she is hopeless. I’m not aware of von Trier’s intent here; that’s just my interpretation. This movie struck a deep chord in me.

Melancholia was painful to watch because it was like holding a mirror. I loved the aesthetics. Von Trier's not my favorite director, but this movie definitely hits home.

how ironic is that we live in a world, where sadness is the most authentic and honest feeling. you don't see instagram models share it, when you see it in media, its manufactured for you to feel compassion. it's never real, outside the everyday life. in my opinion this is why depression is on the rise. it's the natural response to everwhelming happiness everyone wants you to feel. when fake smiles are abundant, people seek authenticity in sadness.

Von Trier's initial inspiration for the film came from a depressive episode he suffered and the insight that depressed people have a tendency to remain peaceful during catastrophic events. I think that's more what it is.

Justine was reacting with calm because when you're depressed it constantly feels like the world is ending and all you want is for it to actually end. I disagree that in the second half, the planet is warping the character's dispositions. They don't switch places. No, it's strengthening them and exposes them for what they are even more. The rouge planet brings Justine relief, that it all is finally going to end. Won't you be calm and content if you knew your greatest wish is going to be fulfilled? On the other hand her rational and sane sister was reacting like any other person in normal mental health - at first with unrest and then with panic and terror, with fear for her and, like any mother, her son's life. In films we normally see this reaction to apocalyptic disasters, of mentally sound people - always wanting to follow their instinct of self-preservation, to save humanity, to prevent the catastrophe. A depressed person has absolutely nothing to fight for on this world, from which they are already detached. Seeing it perish is their nirvana, so Justine's reaction felt very logical to me. I think Lars von Trier contrasted perfectly those two mental states with the help of two great actresses Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg. That's how I felt about this film. It helped me a great deal with my depression and it felt so real. Anyway I hope you'll cover more of Lars von Trier's work, maybe Nymph()maniac or Dogvile. Definitely one of my favorite directors.

A depressed person wants everything to end, he wants to go to sleep one night and never wake up again, and by far the most strong reason that people with depression and suicidal tendencies don't actually commit suicide is that they would hurt other people by doing so, which is solved with the apocalyptic scenario, we are basically seeing Justine finally at peace. Realising slowly that all her responsibilities are being washed away.

I attempted to watch Melancholia as a former depressive and it was so unbearably accurate, I stopped 30 or so minutes in, because of all the memories of how I felt when I had depression. It's definitely a film I would recommend to anyone who knows someone with depression and wants to help, because asking the depressed person directly about their depression usually is a bad idea.

Depression really is a proper shitty feeling. Those who haven't suffered from it simply don't understand. Instead, it's a word that's tossed around lightly and put under an oversimplified definition. I'm naturally melancholic myself, I've tangoed with depression before. But it's a continuous battle to stave off, it never really does truly go away. Especially since happiness feels so artificial, fake and forced in today's society. Sadness has its own beauty in my opinion. it feels authentic and sincere. Great video. :)

"Science and medicine has simply fell short in understanding it." Ain't that the damned truth...

One of my favourite parts of the film is how it represented the fatigue that depression gives you. She eventually got so fatigued that she couldn't bathe herself, dress herself, or sometimes even stand up.

That scene where she lies naked on the grass by the lake, looking up at Melancholia as it’s spreading its light over her, she looks so calm, content, at peace with her mind and herself. It was so beautiful, beyond words can ever describe.

A great post on IMDb message board: "All our lives consist of building a 'magic cave' to keep out the pointlessness of existence - we structure meaning from whatever we stumble across along the way, or we strive to find meaning for building our cave, and we sit inside it until the end comes."

As someone with depression, I've never seen a movie that captures what it's like with such visceral accuracy. That's why Melancholia is so important to me. Always love seeing people explore the meanings in it,

That bath scene is the most accurate depiction of severe depression ever put on film.

Watched this last year and the thing that struck me most about the story is how it flips from Justine being unable to cope with life to being the character who's best equipped to cope with the end of the world.

Thanks very much for this analysis; I've also read that this film is, of course, not only about depression, but a scientific study that von Trier found showing that people with depression often handle crises better than people who don't, on the premise that a depressed person is already processing a negative situation/feelings and thus, has more experience.

Amazing work ! This video is dear to me because it addresses the issues related to my own life - I myself differ from depersonalisation.

* *spoiler alert to anyone that hasn't seen the movie yet* * Idk if you purposely left this out to keep spoilers out of your video, but an aspect that I found interesting is the hinted moment that Justine is psychic (she happens to know the number of jellybeans in the jar and seems to connect with the planet on another level than everyone else). She is depressed because she knows before anyone that the planets will collide. Her depression is due to her knowing things other people don't and her process of coming to terms with it. Some people are depressed because they see how things are going wrong while others don't have that foresight, so you stand alone and everyone thinks you're the one with the problem. She grieves due to that, and to others she's just depressed and disconnected, but she doesn't want to alarm her loved ones by telling them so she copes and suffers on her own. Her depression is almost grief at knowing all the people she loves are about to die, and that all those joyous moments are bitter-sweet and seem completely tasteless because they will never complete their cycle.

I never thought I was depressed, just thought I was a pessimist, until he listed the time slowing, and the proportion changes. I experience those often, with increased "sadness"

This was the best film of the Depression Trilogy. The final scene especially was absolutely chilling and left me in tears.

i have bipolar disorder, specifically bipolar ii, meaning that i vacillate between deep depression and heightened anxiety. from my own unique perspective, i noticed that Justine seems to be the personification of depression, while her sister, especially in the second half, seems to be the personification of anxiety. did you notice this? i loved your interpretation of this film... i adore the film itself and i commend any efforts to bring mental illness to the forefront of the public mind.

it's always strange to see people without depression worrying about the end of the world - an apocalypse - because for me that'd be the best thing ever. We all die together - you don't have to worry about how your loved ones would feel when you die and vice versa, because you'd all die at the same time. It's a beautiful concept.

As current covid events unfold, bringing out a calmness in me while others go crazy, I can't help but think of Justine.

Jesus, that final shot is just depressing. Unlike most examples of people just accepting what's happening, you can just see one of them still squirm. Trying to be in a position where this just won't be as painful as possible but it doesn't matter.

Don't apologize for being late. This kind of quality I don't mind seeing one of every month let alone every week that you seemed to push out so far.

I haven't seen a horror film that scared me as much as Claire's character finding out the planet is getting bigger. That was so anxiety inducing, thank you Von Trier for not using that moment to destroy my psyche rather than that, you went poetic on the ending scene.

This insight about time and depression is so very accurate for me, today I realized that I couldn't for the life of me figure out if I was 22 or 23 years old. Life is so much the same everyday that a year is no different than the other.

This movie engulfs you into the experience of the character by making you depressed with how boring it is and realizing how disappointing life can be.

I like to see Justine's indifference to the end of the world as an explanation to why people get depressed. We don't really know her backstory, but as I see it, she was feeling depressed before the wedding and before she met Michael. I think she was more or less "persuaded" (by social constructs and subtle hints) into trying to marry him, because other people + love "should help against depression". During the night though she notices how little she cares, how little the fact that she's married matters to her deep within and she realizes her inability to love others, which is a insanely scary concept (believe me..). After this incident she becomes even more depressed, she's tried the ultimate "love path", she played the best card she had in regards to learning how to love, and it failed. But after some months she starts to accept her state. She will constantly be in this daft, indifferent and blurry mental state, so she might as well live with it. Fast forward to the time when the world is starting to end and Claire starts to freak out completely. Then Justine is the one who's taking care of things, trying to enlighten the mood and most of all, keeps Leo calm. She notices that no matter if the world is coming to an end or if she's at, what should be, the happiest day of her life, she'll feel the same: nothing. Her weakness becomes her strength because she's not changed, everything around her has. Great analysis as always!

The imagery of the Ophelia scene is spot on to the image I often get in my head when I'm crashing into my lows, except for me I feel as though I'm laying dead-eyed on a cold, gray north Pacific beach with waves just pushing me back and forth. It's weirdly specific, I don't know why I feel it like that. Also, does anyone else feel as though they are sunk halfway through the floor when they are walking during a depressive episode?

What struck me the most, Justine was the insane one when everyone else were sane and she was the sane one when everyone else were insane.

Dude! I had goosebumps when you said "science and medicine have come up short in their apprehension of mental illness so maybe we ought to look to art for insides and solidarity about what it's like living a life out of proportion" AWESOME

her exits are exactly my daydreams.while events happen i imagine myself leaving, dying, fuck my life type shit.

The part when she tried to eat, then just says "its horrible" breaking down even more stuck with me. The first time I tried watching this I ended it with that scene and couldn't continue, surreal to me how familiar it was to see something you always feel in your whole body. I already finished the whole movie now and its a work that a depressive could comprehend in its depth.

I fell in love with this movie the first time I watched it.. profoundly beautiful and sad. And yes it was about the two sisters. My take on the second part was that Claire had more to lose with the destruction of the world. Justin was ready. It's like she had been preparing for that final moment her entire life. And she had been sad and empty for so long that at those final moments she felt calm and collected enough to look after her sister and nephew. She found her purpose in the end. And the most obvious thing not mentioned in this video is Claire's husband, the most sane and reasonable and practical person as portrayed , was the first one to give up and kill himself. That irony struck me the most. In the end of everything, the 'weak' ones emerged as the strongest and faced the final moment like a hero.

I always find some hint of joy in sadness. In a world where everybody want's to be happy, it can be hard to know how much of your happiness is real, and how much of it is just you wanting to beleive that you are happy. When I feel sadness however, I know that that is real, and I find solace in knowing that sadness to be the most genuine, honest emotion I can ever feel. Sadness makes me feel more human than anything else ever could.

fuck this is mind blowing. perhaps the best channel on youtube. thnk you, thank you!

I'm scared to watch this movie now because of its accuracy. I've come to realize that I've been in bed for 10 years. Sitting while things fall apart hoping to be pulled out grasping at everything, even things I know won't work out. My family has matured; news of engagements, children, moving, celebrations and I have never had such news. I feel like a bystander but I'm terrified of failure and success so I stand still. General anxiety and general depression has robbed me of my youth, I need to get out of bed but I can't.

I don't think anybody will read this but, when I had depression I didn't even know that I actually got in this state. I just started searching for some signs on Google and thought to myself that I was just sad as somebody like me could never be weak enough to be depressed. Time flies by and I once again look on up Google for other signs and I find out about social anxiety and loneliness, spending the entire day learning more about the world of psychology. I then slowly started to realize that something was wrong with me, I was clearly not myself, at least not anymore. Three years went by and I'm now eighteen years old, I have depression, social anxiety and been lonely for those entire three years. Everyday day is just waking up looking for the sun to go down and close my eyes, just to wake up the next day along with my pain, preparing to go to work a job that I don't like, for which I'm paid badly, spending 8 hours in a warehouse, unaware of my surroundings, dying in my thoughts that are either day dreams about a happier life or anxiety that stops me from going for that happy life.

Love this movie, excellent analysis.

Brilliant analysis of the worst kind of sadness that can’t be explained-except possibly through art.

For me this movie is masterpiece, is has one of the most beautiful and powerful final scenes in movie history, and all the actors are amazing, especially Kirsten Dunst.

There is a certain honest beauty in despair. Depression a kind of truth layered in gray. As death draws closer, one may feel relief/calm where most "healthy" people may be alarmed or even panicked. Justine ends up being the strong one, like others were strong for her during her sadness, she becomes the capable one with the ability to process and manage the oncoming doom. I don't often cry, but this film invoked my tears because it was so sincerely, nakedly moving. It helped me come to terms with my own depression at the time, and that was worth more than the ticket price.

I recommend a detailed analysis of tristan and isolde. Such a magnificent work with a wealth of meaning and intention in all its nuances.

Honestly, this movie is underrated - the cinematography, the subject matter, the representations .. .. artistic and poignant .. for people who suffer with mental health issues, this movie is very relatable .. and quite honestly, the ending is realistic.. I'm glad there wasn't a silver lining or exmachina For me, Justine's actions were very familiar with Bipolar I/II but mostly I, after years of a manic high, slipping into a deep depression and nothing or no one shaking it, constant disappointment from others or to them, and then a sort of acceptance of everything .. Brilliant film

This is the most disturbing movie I've ever watched. I have depression, and the depiction of it is so realistic it's disheartening to watch it.

this film still haunts me 9 years later

This video was just beautifully made and really got me to understand Melancholia deeper. To be honest, I just finished the movie half an hour ago. I kind of wished you would have featured the 19th golf hole in the second part of the movie, because the property only has 18, as mentioned in the first part. Claire actually asks Justine in one scene how many holes there are. I really wondered why she did that. Was that to check is Justine's consciousness was alright? It seemed just similar to when Justine told her the exact number of the beans in the bottle.

This movie was unbelieveably impactful to me. I was 15 when I stumbled across it and never told a soul how messed up I was after seeing it.

I had a bad panic attack with this film. I could never really place it. This explains it.

That last shot where they're about to die and the sister is losing her shit gets me every time.

6:31 _"I for one am happy to see a film so ernest about sadness. As it stands, science and medicine have come up short in their apprehension of mental illness. So, maybe we ought to look to art for insights and solidarity about what it's like living a life out of proportion"_ Yes, me too; I thought this was a great film, especially since it confronted the ultimate fear of depression, which is to be completely destroyed by it. I think science has approached mental illness with the scientific method, social attitudes towards mental illness and commercial exploitation of mental illness. Currently, one can't empirically prove that a patient feels the way they claim and for the reasons that they claim, therefore it is a relationship of trust between the patient and therapist. Society fears mental illness and the corrupt, the culprits, often seek to dismiss it as irrational dysfunction and not the rational response to trauma. Business, the pharmaceuticals, see it as a commercial opportunity and are invested in _not_ finding the root cause, or curing mental illness. I have often experienced and been confronted by anger towards depression; people are annoyed by those claiming to suffer from depression. They say, with self-righteousness, that there have been events that could have broken them, but didn't, so these people just need to stop moping about and do something about it. This, to me, is the fear, expressed as anger by John and Claire, of helplessness in the face of Justine's depression; they can only offer practical solutions, but cannot face the root cause of Justine's depression.

Absolutely beautiful film and excellent study. My understanding of the two halves is that in the first depression is shown as detachment with the "functioning" world and as a result feels like an interminable chaos inside, while the second half expresses how the experience of that internal chaos can allow a kind of peace when the outside world starts behaving chaotically.

This was so beautifully made, as someone who suffers from depression the film really hits home and I love that you reviewed this in such a way

My own personal experience with depression gave me the feeling that time doesn't pass at all. Every day feels like sunday and the beginning of a new week never comes.

Slavok Zizek did a phenomenal analysis of this movie in his book "Event!"

There is another angle to the movie that Evan sort of touched upon, but that has always struck me as relevant from the movie. The planet is obviously a stand-in for any terrible situation being seen through the eyes of depression, but there is something particularly interesting about it. The planet is an unavoidable force, whose presence cannot be ignored, and that is slowly moving, progressing and getting larger every moment, while everyone tries to maintain a semblance of a normal life under it. I might be wrong about this, but I tend to see this as a metaphor for living of living with a slowly moving and lethal disease, more specifically cancer. In fact, Lars Von Trier is a hypochondriac who frequently believes he has (and is terrified by) cancer, which is why I don't see this as such a far-fetched interpretation. What made me think about this was the scene where they're using the wire contraption and talking about if the planet "gets smaller, it means it's going away", just to suddenly notice that it is much bigger. What do you guys think? Am I tripping balls here?

I just discovered your channel and now I'm on a binge of your videos. This is crazy good, you're moving up my list of favorite youtubers.

I actually loved this movie, ending got me crying and the whole movie was just touching but this video made me even appreciate it more!

Delighted to see a new video from you :) Worth the wait

I watched this film on magic mushrooms, fuck me what a bad idea that turned out to be.

As someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, this movie was overwhelming to watch. I have never seen such an accurate depiction of depression on film! Hollywood tends to romanticize depression even if it is done with the best of intent. Depression is NOT something you want. It isn’t feeling a bit down during a couple of days while listening to death cab for cutie and it’s not a cool image. it’s a constant feeling of hopelessness, sadness and loss of self.

what you did with in this video is that you have just created another version for the film, with beautiful editing and good commentating voice along with soundtracks that each piece of sound was presented in the right time, you just nailed the cinema touch.. in fact it's high level of creativity

To anybody who wonders what is the song that starts around 5:00 til the end it's called : "Till we meet again (The phone call Library memory)" from Dexter Britain

Oh, you should do video about Ghibli

I discovered this picture while holidaying in Sweden at Tjolöholm mansion (where the film was shot), often referred to as a castle though it's more of a Gilded Age mansion like the Vanderbilt Biltmore estate. The film strongly resonated with me, especially as someone who has battled depression and anxiety throughout life. It offered valuable introspection, leading me to consider a therapeutic approach, now convinced of my melancholic nature.

Terrific interpretation. You're absolutely right about the theme of disproportion. I never thought of that. What's amazing is how in the finale everything seems to find equilibrium. You don't leave the theater theater feeling disoriented but like you've rediscovered your balance. In that way, the film is ameliorating. One of the best ever made about depression.

This movie really touched me. Really left a mark on me. I was thinking about it for days.....it was unlike any movie I've personally ever seen. How the director handled Justines melancholy and reactions of Kristen Dunst. It was honest. I loved how Justine was the calmest one when the shit was hitting the fan. Lars Von Trier is a genius I would love to be in one of his movies.

I came here from Wisecrack, and they were right to recommend this channel. In the one video you have clearly explained what I loved so much about this film, but could not express. Thank you for this, and I'll be watching!

Fantastic work. I'll never, ever shake the final scene of this film. So many films look away from unhappiness. The finale stares long and hard into extreme grief and doom in a way that's just unbelievably cathartic. Masterpiece.

This is hands down the best UKposts video I have ever seen. Thank you Nerdwriter!

This video gave me crippling depression. I am so sorry.

This movie is very polarizing - as are many of Lars Von Trier's films. And some people like the first part but don't care for the second, while others prefer the second and find the first part boring and maybe even pretentious. I happen to like both. The second part is the revelation in a whodunnit film. It's the reveal in a magic trick. It's the payoff after hard work. It's the reward. While the first part is almost a story in itself. It shows you how the characters handle each other and how they react to their faults. I actually watched this movie while I was in the middle of a bout of depression and it was very surreal

wow. the interpretation is beautiful and the best part that hit me was in the final scene how justine had the calmness of a child. Nothing to lose.

When I first saw this movie I was amazed about how beautiful and comprehensive is in therms of melancholia and depression, it captures your soul totally and let you feel the sadness as a big black space that you can not escape from.

You should do an episode on "The Diving bell and the butterfly", one of my favourite films and very deserving of a video essay

Inevitability, anxiety, sense of doom, these are all forces that lead to the films slow, sad, inescapable conclusion. There's no need to understand anything, just be present

This movie and this depth review of the meaning of this movie has hit me so hard. All I can say was it was perfect in every way. Made me sad but, it made me happy knowing someone out there understands. The fact that it was displayed through art and you disassembling it for others who try to put it into words but can’t, beautiful. Yes art is the one thing that can help and touch all who suffer.

Thank you so much for this insightful review of one of my favorite films. As a person suffering from bipolar disorder, I feel a closeness to what the characters go through, and it makes me feel like I'm not alone.

Fantastic! Now do Mr. Nobody! Please!!

It's amazing to me when I hear something that has been on the tip of my tongue for my entire life put in such simple terms. "Science and medicine have come up short in their understanding of depression, so perhaps we should turn to art." (Possible paraphrasing) That was a beautiful line. This video actually made me cry and I haven't even seen this movie, nor have I cried in a long time. Incredible job. And maybe that line wasn't even intended by you to be some sort of game changer, but it hit me like a ton of goddamn bricks.

Melancholia speaks to me on this-- deep level. I think I'm starting to get depression in quarantine. High functioning, I can still get out of bed, luckily. But I just feel-- crushed. But expectations, by things I need to do, by things I can't keep up with. But instead of slowing down, time speeds up. Time is flying by at a high speed and I need to work, get everything done but I can't help but sit and drain the day away by doing nothing. And even with all the stress and panic of Corona, the riots, the country I live in falling apart-- I feel empty. But calm.

Thank you, you hit the nail on the head with my depression that I never understood. One being that time is fucking grueling and I feel lost as my identity has been shattered and unknowingly blamed the depression on the other reasons. It made me tear up hearing the words but am grateful for hearing them.

I really wish you would make longer videos

I got so excited when I sas you made a video about Melancholia. I love that movie and I love your videos.

I love your incite on art so much; your interpretations are always so articulate and refreshing.

This is one of the most compelling and achingly familiar portrayals of depression on film. I remember wanting to watch it while I was depressed, but feared it would make me feel worse. But when I did watch it, it was cathartic. It almost gave a sense of beauty and meaning to the way I was feeling, without glamourising mental illness somehow. Wonderful film.

I feel like your interpretation of Brazil by Terry Gilliam would be spectacular

Been wanting to watch this film but afraid my depression will relapse . :/

When I was a kid and someone told me to think of my "happy place", I've always imagined myself lying in a shallow lukewarm stream, quiet, relaxed. That by chance I stumble on this video and find a picture that so perfectly represents what I imagine (and have it represent depression? eh?) makes me so excited... I MUST buy that painting and hang it in my room.

I related to most of this movie, the ending is what got to me. My depression alternates, btwn sadness, anger, disappointment & irritability. The smallest thing could send me into a tailspin, yet if a meteor landed in or near the complex that I live, it wouldn't even phase me. I didn't like the movie the 1st time I saw it, so I watched it again, and I related to every level of pain she was feeling. Events that never end, needing alone time, shutting the ringer off the phone, taking a break from ur own mental health. The list goes on......

Great video! Watched the film a while ago and definitely need to rewatch it. I just remember that it left me feeling really sad and uneasy.

That movie made me think about death for about 4 days. So in this case I think it was very successful.

This is an excellent analysis, the best I’ve seen of this masterpiece. Melancholia is the perfect visual representation of depression. It’s unique, intelligent, devastating, depressing, beautiful, and well worth the watch.

von Trier splits his personality and depression down into each key character. They all have a unique trait that when combined articulates how depression feels in a depth that can't usually be expressed so clearly.