MELANCHOLIA

Melancholia is an operatic explosion that connects one woman's sickness with the literal annihilation of the earth. Kirsten Dunst comports herself well, seemingly surprising even herself with her initial bursts of malevolence before sinking into a deep, tangibly aching funk. Melancholia casts a cumulative spell that swept me along in slowly growing dread while keeping me strangely disengaged emotionally. Instead, we're trapped in the numbness that devours our heroine-a formally perfect trick that nevertheless limits the film's impact. It's a film you watch, rather than feel, but it's an incredible thing to see. (DAVID SCHMADER)