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

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