Melancholia.
No, it’s not the name of a new drink, but it was certainly one of the most talked about movies at the Cannes Film Festival this morning. Not due to the movie’s impression left with the judges, but because of the director’s remarks at Wednesday’s press conference.
“Melancholia,” a film by Lars von Trier who is known for his avant-garde hit or miss films, pulled jokes about Hitler and called himself a Nazi at the widely known film festival. I’ll go further into saying that “Melancholia” – that has a big-name cast including Kristen Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland and Charlotte Rampling – was highlighted by Fandango movies as one of the top five movies to keep an eye on at Cannes. But since this morning, the film might have taken a turn for the worse due to scathing remarks by the Danish director.
From Reuters:
Lars von Trier speaking at a press conference about his film
“I really wanted to be a Jew and then I found out I was really a Nazi, you know, because my family was German … which also gave me some pleasure.”
“What can I say? I understand Hitler. I think he did some wrong things, yes absolutely, but I can see him sitting in his bunker in the end.”
“I think I understand the man. He’s not what you would call a good guy, but I understand much about him and I sympathize with him a little bit. But come on, I’m not for the Second World War, and I’m not against Jews.”
“I am of course very much for Jews. No, not too much because Israel is a pain in the ass. But still, how can I get out of this sentence?”
One reporter asked whether he could imagine making a movie that was even bigger in scale than “Melancholia.”
“Yeah, that’s what we Nazis … we have a tendency to try to do things on a greater scale. Yeah, maybe you could persuade me.” He also muttered “the final solution with journalists.”
With a creative, metaphorical plot and a talented cast, this was one of the top two movies I was anticipating to see in the states.
Mr. Trier, you’ve lost a ticket sale.
