Last week it was announced that Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia would screen at Fantastic Fest in Austin in September. It was also revealed that Magnolia Pictures would be releasing the film on VOD on October 7, ahead of its November 11th limited theatrical release. A new poster was unveiled with the tagline “it will change everything,” which makes sense as the film’s about the end of the world. And now Melancholia has a new trailer to show off.
Melancholia earned Kirsten Dunst the Best Actress award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, but it was director Lars Von Trier who wound up grabbing all the headlines. During the film’s outrageous press conference, Von Trier said he was a Nazi and understood Hitler. The comments got him banned by Cannes, with the Festival organizers condemning his statements and asking for an explanation. Von Trier ultimately issued an apology. “If I have hurt someone this morning by the words I said at the press conference, I sincerely apologise,” said Von Trier. “I am not antisemitic or racially prejudiced in any way, nor am I a Nazi.”
After the press conference, Von Trier spoke with the Associated Press. “I don’t have so much to say, so I kind of have to improvise a little and just to let the feelings I have kind of come out into words,” said von Trier in an interview with AP. “This whole Nazi thing, I don’t know where it came from, but you spend a lot of time in Germany, you sometimes want to feel a little free and just talk about this (expletive), you know?”
In addition to Dunst, the cast of Melancholia includes Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alexander Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier and Kiefer Sutherland.
Check out the latest poster for Melancholia:
