Melancholia

After reading other reviews of this movie, it's difficult to know how to react. I get no joy from bashing others for anything except who they voted for in the last election, so I will say just that clearly, we all seem to agree that this movie definitely does appeal to a certain demographic, and definitely does not appeal to a certain other demographic. I come at this from a fairly unique perspective: I'm an astrologer (not by profession because it just does not call me to get paid for it, but I could get paid for it.). I am also a highly-sensitive person, which is a) a real thing (you'll find books on it right here on Amazon) and b) not a disorder and c) while this type of person is predisposed to depression more than someone who isn't an HSP, depression does not necessarily go hand in hand with it. So NO, you do not have to have experience with depression to enjoy this movie as some have said – that’s RIDICULOUS. You just have to be a bit on the deep and existential end of the psychological and philosophical continuum. Anyway, perhaps my astrology knowledge and the spiritual views this has created in me lets me see these scenes differently from most. This is a movie about how knowing the certain end is ahead of you affects the psyches of the people involved and how they deal with the impending end of everything and everyone. It does not matter that these characters are rich, and that alone should not exclude treating them like people in your minds (again, reflecting other reviews I read). I think they’re wealthy with everything we value on Earth going for them in order to illustrate that when the ending comes, it comes for all, and at the time of the total destruction of the planet, nobody will be saved by how much money they have. Yes, Kirsten Dunst's character is deeply depressed, but it's being rather pedestrian to not see the reason. She is aware because she has heightened sensitivity that causes her to feel this planet -- she has something of a kinship with it -- that it is coming to destroy everything. The scene in which she basks naked under its glow is meant to reflect her energetic resonance with it. She’s comfortable, even ecstatic, under its influence. Think of what you might do under the sun and why if nobody was watching, and that might accurately reflect why she is lying naked on rocks basking in the glow of Melancholia. It's not random and it was not just an excuse to get a nude shot of Dunst into the movie. Because Mel is coming to destroy everything, nothing in her life that she's held as meaningful is meaningful anymore. She's has episodic, existential depression in the beginning, and by the way, good luck not having any yourselves if this situation were to happen in real life. She had an important, prestigious job but worked for an appalling man for whom she had no respect, and like so many of us, had to put on a lot of masks to make that work. She's gotten married to a cute guy whom she cares about but this marriage too was probably a choice made to please others (Alexander Skarsgard plays her fiance/husband of ten seconds. "True Blood" fans will know as "Eric," the Viking vampire). With no future ahead of them, it has no MEANING; she's going through with the party because her brother-in-law (Sutherland) paid for it (he doesn't let anyone forget this for a second) and can't get his money back. All the masks come off, the wall of illusion crashes, because there simply is no REASON to maintain them anymore. At the wedding reception, which is about to happen as the film opens, everyone is aware that this planet is headed toward Earth, but not everyone is of the same mind as to whether or not it will make impact or pass close by, especially Dunst's wealthy scientist brother-in-law who has his own special brand of denial going happening. By the end of the movie, everyone has dealt with it in a way that makes sense for who they are. I can take up more space talking about how beautifully shot this was, but that’s been said. I can’t see anyone who thinks deeply and sees life for what it is not appreciating this film, and if that’s not you, that’s fine, just be a student of life and the world at least enough to not say things like “Maybe it’s for you if you have experience with depression.” It’s just an incredibly shallow view of life and other people. It's not for people with major depressive disorder only because YOU don't get it, you just don't get it.

`Melancholia' is a film that is going to be extremely divisive. Not everyone is going to appreciate this, and yet there are going to be some that laud this as one of the finest films ever made. I can certainly see its flaws, and yet there is this underlying captivating atmosphere that I can't help but wholly appreciate. `Melancholia' is a unique and engrossing experience that is less what it seems and more what you'd come to expect from an auteur as controversial as Lars von Trier. The opening montage of cataclysmic destruction plays out like a Vogue editorial shoot captured in slow motion. It seems almost anticlimactic to show us the end before the beginning, and while I understand that this cinematic trick (or gimmick) is initially rather off-putting and presumes to fail the overall purpose of the film somewhat by showing us the cause of concern before we truly understand the concern building in the key characters, it works in a way that I can't quite explain. I personally was rather upset with the sequence upon watching it, but as the film tied itself together I found myself calling it to mind with awe for I saw how the pieces of that puzzle came together in an unexpected way. And, one cannot forsake its beauty. And then the actual film starts, which is broken into two sections. The first part of `Melancholia' focuses on Justine, the bride. Her lavish wedding begins with promise. Her `filthy rich' brother-in-law has paid for the spectacle to take place at his gigantic home, complete with a butler, an 18 hole golf course and a slew of guest rooms (with baths, not showers). The joyous couple show up late, thanks to an oversized limo and some narrowly curved roads, and then all joy seems to evaporate as Justine's intense depression sets in and begins to erode her happiness. Everyone around her fails to understand her condition, even though most of them try (especially her groom and her sister). Justine seems bewitched by a red star she seems looming overhead; a star that goes unseen by the others. This star sets a strange precedent for the remains of the evening as Justine's behavior becomes more reclusive and catatonic almost. Bridges are burned, relationships are broken all hope is lost. The second half switches focus to Claire, the elder sister. While Justine is certainly suffering from depression, Claire begins to delve into paranoia as the impending collision with the mysterious planet Melancholia grows closer and closer. They don't ever say how much time as elapsed since the wedding, where that `star' first reared its head, but Justine is still sulking in misery and the agitation she caused on that `blessed day' obviously still lingers. "It tastes like ashes." With only five days left before Melancholia is supposed to `pass' Earth, Claire and Justine begin to come to terms with the inevitabilities of their futures. At the core of `Melancholia' is a sharply constructed look at mental instability and the effect it has on our own personal survival. Justine's character is of particular interest because her depression, which is initially assumed to stem from the planet traveling towards Earth, is almost eased by the foreknowledge that the end is coming. She possesses a unique bond with the planet, a connection (as seen by her nude moon-bathing) that helps ease her dissention since she is obviously of the accord that life on Earth is corrupted; infected with an evil that, even in its most unintuitive form is still prevalent and contaminating. For her, eradication is a way out of a life she cannot support. From a technical standpoint, `Melancholia' is something special. The imagery is stunning. Lars von Trier has a great track record of using a film's cinematography to eclipse the viewer and sustain his themes. `Antichrist' was a film that suffered in conception and yet it was sustained to a degree thanks to the beautiful and captivating way in which it was shot (not to mention Gainsbourg's phenomenal performance). Here, the night sky is illuminated by cascading stars and eerily shifted cloud structures. Even the murky yet polished way in which the close-ups are rendered is astonishing to watch. I was really taken by the nostalgic score, one that embodied the same sound and atmosphere as the classic apocalyptic and science fiction films. The drama is there, bolded with each swell in the music. Performance-wise, the film belongs to Kirsten Dunst. She is remarkable here. This is a truly restrained and intimate performance, no real showboating or dramatics involved. Instead, Dunst takes a far more realistic look at depression by holding it all in. Sure, she has her crying fits and breakdowns, but she internalizes so much. I'm so happy for her Cannes win, especially since Oscar will most likely look the other way (they like their actresses to SHOW their pain), but I completely concur with many who say this is quite possibly her finest work. She has been one of my favorite actresses for years, and I am so thrilled to see her making some intriguing and rewarding film choices (she should have won the Oscar last year for her tremendous work in `All Good Things'). I also was wholly impressed with Kiefer Sutherland, who dwelled in the skin of his character, adding little touches that made him feel complete as opposed to a mere prop (unlike the younger Skarsgard, who just proved uninteresting). Kiefer portrays an odd warmth, paternal and yet elusively selfish. You can see his colors changing as the film progresses, and his many shades, while never blatant or wholly exposed, haunt long after he's left the screen. In the end, `Melancholia' is probably the strangest `apocalyptic' film you'll ever see, and while it contains certain flaws, those flaws are swallowed and digested by the films ravenous pluses. The pacing is extraordinary (don't listen to the naysayers claiming this film drags, for it most certainly does not) for it allows the impending dread to set it slowly, meticulously, calculated and yet entirely natural so that you feel yourself letting go as you watch Justine and Claire prepare themselves for the afterlife.

Kirsten Dunst plays a melancholic girl on her wedding day. She and her groom are in a limo trying to get to their wedding reception, but the path is narrow and curvy and the limo simply can't get through. They arrive 2 hours late. When they arrive, Kirsten looks up and comments on a red star that she says she has never seen before. In response, her sister informs her of how rude her late arrival is. Immediately we get to see how incredibly messed up Kristen's character's family is. Her father appears to be a bit immature and unreliable, drinking a bit much and playing childish pranks on the waiters. Her mother is a bitter, selfish, control-freak who takes over the father's speech in order to blast marriage in general and to tell everyone how much she despises the entire concept of "till death do us part" and all that sort of thing. Kirsten's character and her sister simply sit and endure their mother's narcissistic abuse, as they are accustomed to it. Kirsten tries to smile and be nice throughout the reception, but gradually the smiles are less and less and we begin to see a darkness creeping over her. Kirsten's depression grows deeper, with her repeatedly disappearing from the reception for long periods of time to be by herself. Eventually she and her new husband are in the bedroom. He is clearly ready to enjoy their honeymoon and consummate the marriage. But she is brooding, says she doesn't want to and leaves the room. She wanders outside and climbs into a golf cart which she drives far out into the 18-hole golf course that surrounds the mansion where the reception is being held. It is her sister's husband's house and he repeatedly expresses how rich he is and how much he has spent on the reception. Kirsten's wedding dress hangs on the pedals of the golf cart as she climbs out. So she just rips it loose and walks on, unconcerned. There is a long series of events showing how depressed Kirsten is, how dysfunctional her parents are, and how hard her sister is trying to hold everything together and make nice. The groom, who had been trying throughout the film to cheer Kirsten up and deal with her depression as best as he could, gives up and leaves her after the bedroom scene. Kirsten's depression grows severe. Her sister invites her to come and stay at their house so they can help her through it. Her sister's husband, played by Kiefer Sutherland, is openly unsympathetic to Kirsten. His focus is primarily on his money and his love of science. At the moment his passion for science is focused on astronomy and a rogue planet that is supposed to "fly by" the Earth in a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Kirsten's sister says she is uncomfortable with this whole thing and Kiefer warns her to stop looking it up on the internet because she keeps upsetting herself after reading posts by doomsday prophets who insist it is going to be the end of the world. About this time the planet is visible in the daylight sky, although it is small. The story continues with Kirsten's sister trying to cheer her up. They go horseback riding and Kirsten seems happier, at least until her horse refuses to cross a particular bridge. Kirsten had talked early in the film about how no one but she could ride that horse and how much she loved it. But when the horse refuses to cross the bridge Kirsten beats the crap out of it with her riding crop. The horse is so frustrated that it literally sits down on the ground with her still on its back rather than go on. Kirsten's sister has to grab the riding crop out of Kirsten's hand to stop her from beating it more. Meanwhile, the planet grows larger in the sky. Kiefer Sutherland helps his son make a metal loop that everyone can use to measure when the planet, named "Melancholia", is growing closer and when it is moving farther away. Around this time the planet is close enough to earth that it interferes with some of earth's electrical activity. Kirsten's sister shows increasing fear of the planet despite her husband's assurances that scientists have predicted it will pass harmlessly by the earth. She goes to a computer and looks up a report showing that the planet Melancholia will brush past the earth, loop around the Sun, and then come right back and smack in the earth. As she is printing the diagram of the planet's predicted path, the power cuts out. The planet's nearness to earth has interfered with all electrical activity planet-wide. Kiefer says this was expected and that the power will be out for a few days. He reassures his wife once more that it is all going to work out fine. But later that day Kirsten sees Kiefer unloading survival goods from his truck and hiding them in the barn. He warns Kirsten not to tell her sister because it would only upset her. I know some of the reviewers here have told you how the film ends, but I'm not going to. I think you should watch it. This is a good movie and there's no point in my telling you how it ends and then telling you to go see it. You should buy it or rent it or whatever and watch it. This is a good movie.

This is a qualified 5 - if I could give it 10 for my own tastes, I would. That said, for some, buyer beware. And I guess I'm going to end up addressing my review to people who might rate this movie low because I think you can get more out of it than 1-3 stars when you watch it. If you like Hollywood films and hate art films, obviously, stay away. If you like living in certainty, stay away. But before you do, let me make a small suggestion. Sometimes being unsettled is good. Sometimes feeling bad is good - we should be grateful as human beings to feel depth of emotion - be it happiness OR melancholy. Sometimes you should take a walk. Take a walk when the weather is great. But get out there and take a walk in a blizzard, on a really hot day, or in the rain... or on a foggy night, put on headphones, go out for a walk at 1am and listen to old spooky blues records. The whole POINT of going for a walk instead of staying in your living room where you have everything just the way you like it IS that it is unsettling. The whole, "ships are safest in harbor, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT SHIPS ARE FOR" and neither are you. So that said, what are you buying into with Melancholia? You aren't getting entertainment, you're getting art. I don't think it is about depression per se. It isn't about "gee, these people are depressed and what should they do about it." I got the distinct impression that Kirsten Dunst's character has some sort of foresight. Not specific knowledge but she feels intrinsically that something is going to go wrong, thus the dumping of the great advertising job that she is brilliant at, the groom, etc. It turns out she isn't feeling depressed, she's feeling ACCURATELY. Which begs the question is depression or melancholy ALWAYS a dysfunction or is it healthy when it is an accurate response to what is going on? Is cheerfulness, teamwork, ambition, confidence, sick in the wrong context? This isn't a movie about "oh gee they're DEPRESSED" which I see in quite a few 5 star reviews as well as 1 stars. Dunst makes the right decisions about her life, drops the career, etc because something horrible is coming and can feel that in light of that, it doesn't mean all that much to her - that's symbolically valid within the movie with the rogue planet coming, but it's valid in actual real life. The fact is, something horrible is going to happen to you. It is coming for you as you read this, waiting somewhere in your future. Certainly death, the deaths of those you love, absolutely, but not just death. It's very likely you'll have your heart broken, lose a good friendship, disappoint yourself, act like a jerk in a way you can never take back, experience the whole gamut of suffering, pain, for yourself and those you love - you will lose things or have horrible things happen or do bad things THAT CAN NEVER BE UNDONE. Ouch, right? But so, so very true. Now, if you want to stay in your living room with everything just so, if walking in the fog at 1am listening to blues records or in the rain, lifting your face to feel it instead of rushing inside sounds insane to you, you are missing out. And besides, your living room won't ultimately save you. What do you do when depression is PERFECTLY JUSTIFIED, the most sane thing? Do you withdraw? Do you rush out to seek other people? But what if other people can't help? How do you, how do others, meet what is most definitely coming? Sorry but this too is part of the human experience. You will be more alive, more human, more compassionate to other humans, with that awareness - less human, less alive without. It's one of those roadtrip/cocktail party questions - what is art? I'll tell you my definition. When you sleep, you dream and process the events of your life symbolically. People kept awake to long start too go kind of batty, can't function well - even if you let them sleep but interrupt only when they start dreaming. Dreaming is the unconscious processing of being alive - of life's experience. You have to do it or you'll literally lose your mind. Art is kind of the same way - it's the semi-conscious processing of human experience of life. Dreaming and art fulfill kind of the same functions - in the months following WW2, in totally bombed-out Germany, while Berlin was still essentially rubble, what did the people there do in the aftermath, as soon as they had their bare, basic needs met? Put on plays. Put little orchestras together and play music. In the RUBBLE. Because they needed to. I suspect we're all a little crazy in this day and age because we instinctively reach for art and get entertainment handed to us instead - sleep instead of dreaming. So anyway, the movie is beautiful. I was about to say "well, it isn't entertainment but it is art" but I remembered, in the 1800's there was a musical subgenre that specifically would be songs about tragically dead children - seriously that was it - people would show up to the concerts in droves, weep, it'd be very cathartic. If THAT was entertainment, I suppose Melancholia is entertainment - depressing films, horror films that ACTUALLY horrify as opposed to make you jump due to a loud sudden noise, are cathartic and entertaining in their own right. Idunno, maybe we in America have a religion that trumps all others and that religion is COMFORT. That makes me feel uncomfortable, which is why I take walks in bad weather and at bad times and watched Melancholia - to take me out of my comfort zone just a little bit. And ah... have some compassion for the people you run into in your life that aren't all sparky and upbeat - psychological studies prove that slightly depressed people perceive reality more accurately than upbeat people. Maybe they're onto something. Non-melancholy is overrated :)

This film is visually stunning and visceral in it's masterful and highly stylized portrayal of depression. I could watch it with the volume off and understand everything that's happening, but not feel at all that the story is dumbed down or lacking, the acting and layout of the film is that good. In fact, everything about this film is superb, especially the acting. I have tried really hard to review this without spoilers, but I probably didn't do such a good job lol because there is just so much to say. Reader, beware, you might feel spoiled past this point. Two sisters, their relationship and the relationships around them are real but also symbolic, the planetary events, the wedding, just... wow. It will make you think deeply, especially if you are mentally different or someone who loves and cares for someone who is. Very often while watching I had the impression that the story was pure allegory, all just being played out in the mind. The fun of this was deciding what was real from what was internal, and then realizing there is no difference and that this is one of the main messages of this film. Melancholia looming, unknowable, the cause of much consternation and scientific guessing (as most mental health diagnosis are today), and there's nothing anyone, not anyone, can do about this massive world and the inevitable conclusion it will bring. The wedding, all the resources (monetary and emotional) spent to join well meaning but ultimately fruitless efforts to bring stability and happiness (based on the opinions of others; what they think will bring her happiness, or what traditionally brings it, or what makes them personally happy) to change the protagonist lol... and while they're doing this, its so artful how this film shows each character bringing to bear the many kinds of anxiety a mental health patient may feel from everyone around them while those people are trying to "fix" them and the pressure put upon them to become "fixed". While well meaning, none of it was really ever for the protagonist, it's done so others can feel better. These were performative acts that forced the protagonist to also perform- to be performatively happy, to cover up what's really always there, looming, like an inevitable planet about to crash into and destroy everything.... This film is not for everyone. Its going to make a lot of people uncomfortable in a similar way depression and mental differentness in real life can make others react and feel. This is clearly reflected in the film, as some want to fix the person, some want to just get them in the bath, have them eat a meal. Some, like the boss at the wedding, just want to take advantage of the brilliance that often comes from such differences. They who are different, like the protagonist, need loving, real human interventions at times, and that need can be met with many different types of responses and actions, both nurturing and destabilizing. And it is often a thankless job to be the helper, it can bring hopelessness, and there is an understanding that this will be a persistent need. These themes make everyone ask questions, you'd have to be empty and foolish, maybe even a little vapid, if you left this film without a lot to consider. That being said, this is not a happy film. It shows depression in a very visceral way, explicitly, and even while doing so in complete artistic beauty, there's no denying what the film is expressing. The message relating to all this beauty on the outside (the mansion, its lush grounds, the horses, the gown she wears etc) is that to the depressed person, wealth and opulence are meaningless when you cannot feel happy. Depression can be so debilitating that nothing can change it, and it cannot be cured. So, if you are prone to depressions I think you'll love this film, but you might want to be feeling stable when you watch it. This should not be your go-to if you're already sad, save it for another day. But do give it a go, I am mentally different and I found it refreshing to see such an honest and heartfelt depiction of something that's part of my every day life. Usually my condition is paraded about by the press, sensationalized, and very little help comes from the constant flow of public opinions on this subject. At least this film made me feel seen, a rare thing in our culture. And it did so with grace and intelligence, and in the form of high art. I'm flattered, I really am, and I hope if you're different, that you'll feel a little more free from watching this. A little more seen. and know you're not alone.

This is the most excruciatingly boring film I have ever seen in my life. I kept waiting for the good part, but they payoff never came. Cheaply made. They shot the whole thing in one house. The scene never changes. But they slapped lots of corny "vintage" photoshop-y effects all over it, so it's like, artsy or something I guess? Who cares. Do yourself a favor and watch paint dry instead. Now, maybe you think I'm some bro'd-out neanderthal who's mad because Kirsten Dunst didn't turn into a Transformer robot and shoot up the place with lasers or something, and that YOU would love it because you're such a sensitive soul with a real eye for the beautiful things in this lonely life. WRONG. WRONG. I love well-wrought artsy films. This is just not one of them. It's a pretentious, self-impressed movie with open disdain for its viewers. "If you don't appreciate this, you simply haven't any taste at all," the palpably heavy hand of the director sneers, as you wander out of the room pretending to need another glass of water for the third time. To answer a claim made by other reviewers: Kirsten Dunst's character is not some touching, vividly-rendered portrait of depression's horrible effects. She's a two-dimensional caricature, a classic manic pixie dream girl. She drifts around frowning at everything, being sad about everything, and never doing anything. Not only is that a reductive portrayal of depression, it's B-O-R-I-N-G. Her character is completely flat. She never changes. She never learns. She doesn't grow. She's just a mopey lump. I mean, I have struggled with depression but I didn't empathize with her character at all. I wanted to smack her across the face with a dead fish and say "WAKE UP KIRSTEN DUNST! THE ENTIRE WORLD IS ABOUT TO END. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED. DON'T YOU CARE? DOESN'T ANYBODY CARE? SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING. THIS ISN'T A DREAM." I mean, doesn't a film have SOME responsibility to entertain its viewers, like, just a little, tiny bit? Oh, at the end of the movie, a giant planet smashes into Earth and everyone dies, so everything they did was pointless. Except, you don't get to see the collision, because animating the special effects beyond showing a giant disc in the sky would have cost too much money. There, I ruined it for you, okay? Do not watch this movie.

A lot of the reviews here that are one star are very troubling. I'm reminded of the people who reportedly walked out of the theaters during Tree of Life, or Twilight fans posting book reviews of Stoker's Dracula or Tess of the d'Urbervilles (that was mentioned so frequently by the author of Twilight). I get it. The movie is slow paced. I get it. The science fiction is a mere backdrop rather than the focus. But the movie is meant to explore an emotion, not merely state it. It explores how severe depression really is. It explores how those without depression react to tragedy and how those with it become numb to stress and tragedy. It is slowly paced - but it does so to bring you to an emotional realization. There's nothing wrong with movies that are action and more highly paced in their drama. But, for me, Melancholia - along with other incredibly cerebral science fiction like the Her or the UK televsion series, Black Mirror, are these scifi pieces that are really upping the game as far as art goes. Too often is science fiction just the window dressing for dumb action movies. Too often do supposedly adult drama mean to do nothing but over stimulate you and sell you a soap opera story. Very rarely does a piece get so intimate, require you to reflect upon the people and their situation without jarring you to the next situation and the next and the next. In a world where society must constantly be forced to be over stimulated, this asks you to slow down to explore this one thing. And frankly - the one star reviews here say more about the reviewers, than they do the movie. The shooting locations and the capturing of them are just absolutely gorgeous, it's incredibly well acted and the prelude to Richard Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde set the tone of the film perfectly. My one petty complaint, is the naming of the planet. The movie is aptly titled - but there was no real reason to actually name the planet crashing into earth that very thing. But i suppose it fit the flow and feel of the movie.

Let's face it! It's an ART MOVIE! And art movies are not for everyone, someone's opinion about them is too personal. I can't tell you ITS THE BEST MOVIE EVER. I can't tell you ITS A BAD MOVIE, because it's art. We all have different reactions to art. We can stare at the same pairing for the same amount of time and one can be moved to tears and the other sick to their stomach. It's a personal relationship. So before you press play know that it is an art movie. You may love it, or you may hate it fiercely. I'm pretty sure both reactions will please the director. I'm not an art movie buff. I also had no previous knowledge of this director. I only watched it because it kept popping up on my Amazon video app and i just hoped that by watching it it would disappear from there lol As soon as it starts you realize that it's an art movie. The opening is quite beautifully shot, the music it's intense. If by the first minutes you don't quite get that it is going to be a somewhat different movie from what you are used to, you won't like it. I personally have mixed feelings about it. It kept me intrigued to the End but I can't really say I like it. There were way too many moments, in my opinion, that made me think "this makes no sense at all" and to be completely honest with you it felt like the loooongest 2 hours of my life. I seriously thought it was longer than 2 hours. I guess art doesn't necessarily need to make sense to everyone. I guess whatever the director's backstory and experiences were that made him make this movie also don't matter much if you are going to call it art. But for anyone who isn't used to this kind of movie you may not be able to get over the fact that a LOT OF THINGS DONT MAKE SENSE. There were quite a few scenes that were there just because it was pretty and artsy. For example, showing Kirsten dusts's nipples by the light of a planet on its course to crash into earth....!such a beautifully shot scene. Very artsy indeed. But in the back of my mind I just couldn't get passed the fact that it didn't quite fit in the story and it just seemed like an excuse to put a scene with naked Kirsten in it. . A lot of other things didn't make sense to me but I can't mention them all without spoiling the whole movie to whomever is reading this I'm also sure that anyone who has experienced depression directly or indirectly (through family members) can relate to this movie in a deeper level. Bottom line is I DONT recommend this movie unless you are a fan of the director and of movies like this. Then I am sure you are in for a treat! It is beautiful! If you have an eclectic movie taste and is curious like me, this is definitely an interesting movie to watch. Liking it or not I'm sure you will be glad you experienced it. but above all don't listen to reviews that say "it's an awesome movie" or "it's a bad movie", because this is the kind of movie that will have a different feel for everyone who watches it.