artistic license

'Melancholia', the new Lars Von Trier film, literally looks at death in the face. We know from the outset of this movie that the planet of Melancholia is indeed on a crash course with earth. And the whole idea of death is a pretty heavy one. But Von Trier goes there, an act for which I take my hat off to him. Margaret gave the movie a full rating of 5, whereas David gave the film only half of Margaret's quota. It is visually beautiful, which allows the challenging themes to be, I find, more easy to digest. 
Fear of death, or attachment to life, is one of the kleshas in yogic philosophy. By this, it is one of the five aspects of life that hold us back from permanent bliss. One of my favourite parts of a yoga class is the savasana. It is called 'corpse' pose for a reason. We need to surrender, not fight against the inevitability  of what's essentially a well earned rest. As melancholia came hurtling towards the protagonists, the child had a peaceful half smile on his face. The innocence of children is really a mirror for our own essential innocence. Reminding us to be light, to live, right now.
Von Trier made public the fact that he suffered an extended bout of depression prior to making this movie. Some would say that, upon viewing the movie, this makes sense. But I like to think that this process of film making helped him to find his way out. He told some of his story and this is the fabric of life. Our stories connect us. Death and depression are two parts of life. Shying away from either won't make them go away. But making a movie about them, however, makes people aware.
It also reminds us to connect. I was lucky to have Thai food to share with friends after. Dunst's character in the film was lucky to have the kindness of a young child. This child inspired her to make a magic cave, one that would protect them from a plummeting planet. The planet did indeed take their physcial selves, but is it the magic cave that has held onto their souls.