Melancholia

Psyche

In this solo episode, I reflect on Lars von Trier’s Melancholia—a film often described as dark or depressing, yet one I found strangely clarifying and alive.

After briefly situating the film within von Trier’s long career, I offer a grounded overview of its structure and themes before moving into deeper psychological and philosophical territory. Drawing on psychoanalysis and existential therapy, I explore how Melancholia portrays depression not simply as pathology, but as a slowing down—a descent into depth in a culture addicted to speed, optimism, and surface meaning.

Using the work of James Hillman, Freud, Lacan, and existential thinkers like Kierkegaard and Heidegger, I reflect on melancholia as a confrontation with truth rather than something to be rushed past or fixed. The episode considers what the film can teach us about despair, authenticity, and what remains when familiar structures of meaning fall away.

This is an episode about staying with difficult emotions long enough to listen—about refusing easy reassurance in favor of depth, honesty, and presence.