melancholia: sadness, lugubriousness, moroseness, wistfulness.
“an oppressive sorrow, which, to wit, so weighs upon man’s mind, that he wants to do nothing.” (thomas aquinas)
“the height of joy, the moment when the world can improve no further, is both the end of joy and the beginning of melancholy.” (christopher john murray)
“profoundly painful dejection, cessation of interest in the outside world, loss of the capacity to love, and inhibition of all activity” (sigmund freud)
watched lars von trier’s “melancholia” and liked it. what a stunning idea to depict melancholia as an actual planet, hidden behind the sun, which is about to crash into earth and annihilate all life. the film is suffused with cosmic imagery and the music of wagner. moonlit landscapes are bathed in blue light. startled birds take flight in a flurry of feathers and precipitate snow flakes. even family scenes emit the heightened, almost grotesque, drama of myths. as the end of the world nears, melancholia seems to make much more sense – perhaps it’s the longer view of life and our role in the universe. masterful performance by kirsten dunst.