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Your perception of this film and your emotional/mental predisposition

posted 11 years ago by Good_Coffee
69 replies | jump to latest

It seems that a lot of people who think highly of this film are themselves predisposed to being melancholic, and it would be interesting to see if this is indeed the case. So, two questions:

1. Do you hold this film in high regard?

2. Do you consider yourself to be prone to melancholy? (not 'depression', but a feeling of introspective existential emptiness, even if your experience is perfectly harmless and unproblematic, as I'm sure it will be for most)

Be honest! This isn't a way of juding people, just a study in the intersts of undestanding the polarising reactions to this film :)

[–] LotsOfLea 11 years ago

1. Yes I do. One of if not my favorite film the year it came out. 2. There are times, but usually/normally not at all. I don't fit the characteristics, but I 100% related to Justine and also her sister (morseo the second time I watched). The film deeply effected me and took me through the ringer. It shook me.

[–] BettyX 10 years ago

1. Yes l do
2. I'm melancholy but not depressive (honestly can't remember any bout of depression, ever). Many people mistake melancholy people as chronic depressives but it can be a temperament trait.

[–] Chloe_Jo_Fassbender 11 years ago

----
Allahu akbar!

[–] lexiever-1 11 years ago

Answer to number one, I guess lol. Answer to two, sometimes.

Lonely Chicago pie

[–] Cmichelle51 11 years ago

I really enjoyed the movie, more so the second time I watched it. I love a movie that makes me think. I do not suffer from melancholia but I have been exposed to those who do and I'm empathetic.

[–] KennethWasHere 11 years ago

That I certainly do, and I wouldn't say any more so that anyone else. Then again, though, I haven't been keeping up with how melancholic or how un-melancholic other folk are these days, so that might just end up being a yes.

The bitter thinkers buy their tickets to go find God like a piggy in a fair

[–] thesarahmarie 11 years ago

1. Yes definitely.
2. Yes I guess so. As others noted: It's difficult to estimate one's own 'degree' of melancholy compared to the average.

I don't like discussions about whether a movie (book, report, etc.) is 'realistic' or not, because it's not really a worthwhile measure (as there might not be THE 'reality', whatever that's supposed to be). But this movie affected me deeply and I felt (!) the existential nature of the questions it raised. Which is to say that to me Melancholia's topic is existential (in the 'reality' that I experience).

[–] grounden1985 11 years ago

I liked the film precisely because I could identify with Justine so much. Many aspects of her life mirrored my own experiences so much and it was...refreshing...to see a film that finally managed to capture that feeling almost perfectly. I haven't seen a better portrayal of it.

[–] charlotteadolfsson 11 years ago

Yes I liked the movie. I could relate to that sense of inevitable doom coming your way. I suffer from depression and OCD myself.

I watched it with mum and she hated it though. She thought it was pointless to make a movie where they all die in the end.

[–] Kalika1 10 years ago

I know you wrote this almost a year ago, but could you please cover your spoilers? I haven't seen the movie yet & now it's ruined for me, would be nice to not have that happen to anyone else please. Thanks

"Unless this lady works for the circus...she didn't shoot herself"

[–] iworkfortheharold 10 years ago

It's not a spoiler. I know that sounds weird, but watch the film and you'll see what I mean. Lars von Trier doesn't really make it a secret or anything. Nothing has been ruined.

[–] Kalika1 9 years ago

My apologies for the insanely late reply, but I wanted to thank-you for clarifying that for me, much appreciated. 

Unless this lady works for the circus...she didn't shoot herself

[–] iworkfortheharold 10 years ago

It's not a spoiler. I know that sounds weird, but watch the film and you'll see what I mean. Lars von Trier doesn't really make it a secret or anything. Nothing has been ruined.

[–] cgheinecke 10 years ago

Why would you even come into message boards not having seen the film? How do you NOT know there will be spoilers? I will never understand that from people.

[–] Kalika1 9 years ago

I know our posts were a long time ago, but I JUST figured out how to go back to see if ppl replied to my earlier posts(yah, I know, never tried that hard in the first place I guess, lol)

Anyways, I DO know there will be spoilers....everyone knows that. The point is that that is why there are spoiler "links" in the first place. So people will cover up any spoilers they may type so others, like myself, can go on to the boards to get some more in depth info about a movie from actual people before we decide if we want to watch it or not. People can type as many spoilers as they want...just have the courtesy to cover up the parts that would ruin the movie for others, it's really not that difficult.

Unless this lady works for the circus...she didn't shoot herself