"a beautiful film about the end of the world"
Melancholia is another Lars Von Trier's movie that opens to interpretation... why I like so much watching Trier's movies.
So my idea about this movie is related to Life and Death anthology.The film is splitted in two parts just to show two different important moments in someone's existence :LIFE-meaning the wedding, party, people around etc and DEATH- once Melancholia approaches.
Kirsten Dunst (Justine) character is the one that leads the movie flow as it starts by her being happy (scene in the car with Michael) then becoming strangely despressed.For me Justine was from the beginning the single one that knew what was going to happen...Melancholia hitting the Earth.
When she arrived- with 2 hours delay- at her wedding and all the people gathered were waiting for them she was more interested about the stars and the stable.It's when she realizes there is a new star on the sky- "a red one" and she starts feeling the connection with it.
Then she finds herself in a deep depression that she can't stand even for her wedding even if she hardly tries..during the wedding she says "sorry" to Claire claiming "but I tried.I really tried".
Justine was so depressed throught the first part of the film, she felt like she was dying - and she wanted to die, so when she finds out planet is heading toward Earth, she's fine with the fact she's going to die and embraces it..she's peacefull and calm because she already knew something was going to happen, is the moment when she receives the confirmation of her thoughts.There is a dialogue with her sister when she says " I just know some things..as the number of beans 674.I just know some things".
The scene with Justine lying naked bathed in the blue light from Melancholia and almost 'making love' with it.,, I took it as a metaphor of how severely depressed people sometimes embrace the thought of their own death with feelings of joy, calm and peace..because they know it;s "going to an end".
Once "Melancholia" gets closer Justine's condition improves while Claires becomes impacient quite lunatic.It's when Justine becomes the "normal" one and Claire the "lunatic"..and these are 2 different behaviours when facing Death: fear,anxiety,madness versus peacefull, assumed, calm and illuminated.
These are some ideas that passed through my mind just before I watched this movie..

Certified copy

Brief interpretation on this movie:

Juliette Binoche's character was the man's mistress, had a child by him, but he just wouldn't marry her how she obviously once thought he would, hence their relationship can be seen as a 'certified copy', ie, not the real thing. Hence her obsession with weddings, hence her strange reaction when their son asked 'why didn't you want him to sign my full name in the book?'... because the son does not have his surname. Hence her saying she's a 'single mother', hence her telling him that the waitress 'thought we were a married couple and I didn't tell her otherwise'... etc.

The anniversary they were celebrating was their 15 years together, not their marriage. This also explains why he stepped outside to take calls on his mobile, to talk to his wife. When he took a call outside when they were in the cafe, and the older waitress said to Juliette, 'he has a mistress... that's why you are looking at him'...and she said 'no', she put on a strange face....because actually she herself was his mistress.

At the end when she asks him to stay at the hotel ....to not catch the 9pm train (to his wife), it is probably something she has asked him hundreds of times before, hence his exasperated look....the man caught between two women. Hence, he was defending before 'the copy', in other words, implying that their relationship was like a marriage, that it didn't matter that he was legally married to another woman. Of course, just like in a true marriage, after 15 years together their relationship has become more of a 'warpath', time increasing their obvious differences.

Also the title is very suggestive.."Certified copy".If we think back to the speach James has at the begining of the movie..he then say that each copy can be an original if you look from other perspective.An "original" has value because we give it to..because we are used to associate "original" with meanings like: true, valueable, expensive etc..but even a copy ,if we don't know it's not an original, can be as appreciated as the original..just if you have other circumstances or perspectives.Other example is the painting they found in that gallery from Toscana..that was supossed to be an original for about 200 years because noone knew it was fake..and then he says:"who cares if it s copy and who cares where the original is placed".It's about enjoying the art as it comes..even in copies..and relating it to the movie plot I would say "live the moment" even if they were just copies of an "original couple".

Does the film and their relationship make sense in that context?

Open the door..get out of my head!

Am un feeling general ca sunt intr-una din pasele existentei mele cand simt ca totul in jurul meu o ia razna fara sa mai pot controla nimic.Am senzatia ca traiesc intr-un haos si parca nimic nu mai are sens..parca sunt o serie de piese de puzzle imprastiate, ma tot chinui sa refac jocul dar continuu piesele se amesteca.
Conteaza prea putin la ce cacaturi ma gandesc acum..ideea salvatoare care mi-a trecut azi prin cap e urmatoarea: traim si vedem fiecare viata prin prisma realitatii subiective pe care fiecare o resimte,printr-un binoclu personalizat.Imi vine in cap fix ideea aia tampita pe care toti am avut-o in adolescenta: cum ca poate ca eu vad rosu ce tu vezi verde dar pt ca ne-am obsinuit sa numim culorile "rosu" "verde" prin prisma a ceea ce vede fiecare..n-avem de unde stii daca chiar vedem la fel.
Realitatea obiectiva e diferita de cea subiectiva construitra prin si de noi insine.Ceea ce ma face sa ma gandesc..ca poate problemele pe care mie mi se pare ca le am acum , in sfera mea inchisa de griji, sunt nothing privite de undeva de sus..din afara realitatii mele subiective.De fapt am reusit performanta de a ma autosabota!
Cred ca fiind absorbit de propriul subiectivism pierzi din importanta lucrurilor.Esti atat de absorbit si de inchis in cusca ta incat nu-ti mai dai seama de gravitatea si importanta problemelor tale.Spre exemplu..sa zicem ca esti stresat de job & duties, foarte stresat astfel incat "cusca" ta- realitatea ta se va rezuma la grijile legate de job ( sa zicem), fara ca tu sa stii ca poate in tot timpul asta cat te-ai stresat si ai facut riduri si fire albe in cap altcineva rezolvase pt tine "issue-urile" de la munca, sau poate chiar, s-au rezolvat de la sine.
Ce vreau sa spun cu asta e ca realitatea ta subiectiva se poate schimba in orice clipa atunci cand reusesti sa iesi din ea, sa fi in afara.E vorba de perspectiva si de gravitatea pe care o dai lucrurilor.Probabil ca fiinta umana, in genere, (si nu numai popoarele latine) tinde sa-si dramatizeze prea mult existenta..sa faca , cum bine se zice "din tzantar armasar"!
La mine una s-a rezolvat simplu..aveam o groaza de shitturi pe cap..si chiar cand puneam capu pe perna noaptea creierul meu continua sa "rumege".Am plecat 3 zile de acasa..m-am desconectat complet si cand m-am intors si mi-au revenit "dramele" mi s-au parut niste lucruri marunte, lipsite de importanta, senseless.

14 Februarie

Se intampla de cele mai multe ori sa scriu cand sunt trista.Se pare ca starile astea mai de cacao in care ma gasesc uneori imi dau sursa de inspiratie de care am nevoie.Da, recunosc..tristetea a devenit un fel de muza a mea!
Sunt trista pentru ca ma simt un om rau..si in ciuda tuturor argumentelor logice-rationale pe care mi le aduc ideea asta staruie in mine.In mod normal ratiunea e cea care se lupta cu simturile..dar de data asta nu!Ratiunea se lupta cu ea insasi.Este o logica simpla care mi se sopteste-" ai facut rau deci esti un om rau"..si totodata "ai facut rau, pentru ca consecinta raului va fi binele".
Si asta pentru ca ne place mai degraba sa fim mintiti decat sa acceptam sau sa fugim de "Rau".Suntem programati sa fugim atunci cand ne doare si ne e rau, dar nu fugim atunci cand Raul nu mai e o notiune fizica-palpabila.E ca si cum te arzi si fugi repede sa te tratezi insa daca stii ca esti ars si nu poti vedea arsura o lasi netratata.
Am senzatia ca mi-am batut joc de mine si pentru asta sunt un om rau.Daca mi-ar putea vorbi acum Lavinia de acum 3 ani cred ca m-ar subjuga;pentru ca mi-am batut joc de visele si dorintele ei, pentru ca am facut intuneric in lumea ei,pentru ca i-am taiat toate lianele, pentru ca i-am distrus realitatea..m-am pisat pe ea de sus si pentru ca am am avut grija sa o ascund bine in toti anii astia.
Mi-as dori sa ma ierte..sa-i zic ca imi pare rau si ca trebuie sa-mi mai dea o sansa.Nu stiu insa daca ea mai e acolo, daca ma mai aude sau ii mai pasa in vreun fel de mine..mi-am batut joc si acum firesc, se intoarce roata.
Doare sa faci rau altora dar si mai mult doare sa-ti faci rau tie.Si e si mai dureros cand ingropi pana la epuizare frustrarile, si le lasi sa clocoteasca si sa fiarba pana cand te sugruma.Pana la urma..esti calaul propriei tale executii.