Earlier this week the first UK trailer for Lars von Trier's Melancholia arrived online. I thought it was a fine trailer that did a good job explaining what the film is about, presenting the actors, and previewing von Trier's style. In retrospect, however, that trailer was garbage. How do I know that? Because the film's first domestic trailer is now online and there's no comparison.
Winner of the Best Actress Award at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Melancholia is a film split into two parts. The first half is about the wedding of of a girl named Justine (Kirsten Dunst) to her fiancee Michael (Alexander Skarsgård). On the night of the wedding the party is brought outside where a strange light is noticed in the sky. John (Keifer Sutherland), Justine's brother-in-law identifies the light the star Antares. After the light disappears, it's discovered that it has been covered by the rogue planet known as Melancholia, which seems to be on a collision course with Earth. Check out the domestic trailer below or in HD over on Yahoo!
See what I mean? That's what I mean by "there's no comparison." From the opening shot of Dunst floating in the water to the still shots as everyone in the world is in a state of panic, this is an absolutely beautiful trailer. The film is set to play at the Toronto International Film Festival later this month, will arrive on VOD October 7th, and and will hit theaters on November 11th.
