TOP 210 Performances of the 21st Century: Kirsten Dunst as Justine in "Melancholia" (#8)

One of the most underused actresses of her generation, yet one of the most talented... Kirsten Dunst delivers the performance of a career in Lars von Trier's Melancholia. From her breakthrough performance as Claudia in Interview with the Vampire, to her melancholy acting poem in The Virgin Suicides, to her breathtaking charm in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy or her bubbly sadness in Marie Antoinette - Dunst has hitted diverse acting notes in her filmography so far, but no other work of hers matches her Justine in Melancholia! As the young melancholic bride who feels something is not right, Dunst promises there will be some magic coming as the movie develops and, in fact, she shines when she turns into a woman who loses herself as the end of the world approaches.

Dunst is the human embodiement of depression, serenity and destruction all at the same time. It's such a complex performance, full of layers, full of details... Dunst found Justine's soul and she exposed it to the word in both bold and italic style! Two key scenes in Dunst performances: in "It tastes like ashes" and "The Earth is evil", she displays a very grounded level of despair that could easily be overplayed, but Dunst does the exact opposite! It could be an almost hysterical performance since we're watching a depressed woman at the end of the world, but Dunst and Trier make you feel Justine has an invisible wisdom. It's interesting to analyse her performance, since it might have so many different meanings.

Dunst even admitted she played Justine just for Lars von Trier and, considering the result, I believe they should re-team somewhere in the cinematic future!

Kirsten Dunst received the best reviews of her career for her performance in Melancholia and she also took home some prizes and got nominated for a big couple of awards, but she failed an Oscar nomination. Still, she still managed to get some award recognition:

Cannes Film Festival Award - Best Actress (win)
European Film Awards - Best Actress (nomination)
Danish Academy of Film - Robert Award for Best Actress (win)
Bodil Awards - Best Actress in a Leading Role (nomination)
AACTA International Awards - Best Actress (nomination)
Chlotrudis Awards - Best Actress (nomination)
National Society of Film Critics Awards - Best Actress (win)
Critics associations/groups awards - 1 win out of 15 nominations
Saturn Award - Best Actress (win)
Other awards - 2 wins out of 5 nominations

Comments

TOP 35 Actors and Actresses Under 35 Working Today - 2017

The almost annual TOP 35 Actors and Actresses Under 35 Working Today is out, with me considering the performers' performances of 2016 also. We have a few changes since last year's list, with Greta Gerwig toping the list thanks to her last 3 great performances in Mistress America , Maggie's Plan and the Oscar buzzy acting turn in 20th Century Women . Scarlett Johansson comes second with her latest distinguished performance being in 2014 ( Under the Skin ), but she managed to be at the spotligh this year thanks to her fine turns in critically acclaimed movies: Hail, Caesar! , Captain America: Civil War , The Jungle Book (voice) and Sing (voice). Emily Blunt adds another great performance to her resume in The Girl on the Train and she comes third, while Elle Fanning 's turning into one of the finest actresses and she's getting to play more adult and complex parts like The Neon Demon and 20th Century Women 's (her two best performances since Super 8 ). Finall...

ACTOR/ACTRESS OF THE MONTH: Michelle, ma belle

Michelle Pfeiffer Born: April 29, 1958 in Santa Ana, California, USA Oscar recognition: 1989 - Best Supporting Actress for Dangerous Liaisons (nom) 1990 - Best Leading Actress for The Fabulous Baker Boys (nom) 1993 - Best Leading Actress for Love Field (nom) One of the most beautiful women that ever walked on Earth, Michelle Pfeiffer was the A-list of the A-list in the late 80's and in the begining of the 90's, managing to get 6 Golden Globe nominations (winning one) 6 years in a round, for 6 amazing performances. She called attentions with her charm and voice in the movie musical flop Grease 2 , but she started gaining a "serious actress reputation" after appearing in Brian de Palma's Scarface . After Scarface , she became the biggest Hollywood movie star and delivered iconic performances as Susie Diamond in The Fabulous Baker Boys and as Selina Kyle/Catwoman in Tim Burton's Batman Returns . After some years away from stardo...

Academy Awards 2027 nominees predictions: all categories (2nd ROUND)

Now that the Fall film festival has passed, it's time to make some changes in the Oscar predictions charts: La bola negra is on a winning strike taking home the TIFF's People Choice Award; The movies I Play Rocky and Elsinore revealed themselves as huge crowd-pleasers and can be extremely viable Best Picture candidates; Neon's has found its big Oscar player (Luca Guadagnino's Artificial ) and Paper Tiger got more enthusiastic word from New York and London; the unexpected A24's documentary You Can See Everything is (currently) the most well-reviewed movie of the year and it's on track to become a truly unexpected box-office hit; Lee Chang-dong's Possible Love entered Best International Film race and it can have nice shots in screenplay and directing (according to reviews), suprassing the buzz of early favorites All of a Sudden and Fjord ; Digger is a bomb and not a promising Oscar vehicle; Sense and Sensibility is doing well with critics and it is project...

Cinema and Popcorn

Search This Blog