Box Office
Break-even · 2.2xBudget$7.4M
Worldwide Gross$15.9M
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Melancholia
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Melancholia
movie·R·Mar 16, 2011·
Box OfficeBreak-even · 2.2x
$7.4M
Budget
$15.9M
Gross
Shop
Shop this title
Melancholia
We may earn a commission from purchases through these links.
Search US stores by format. Check the title and edition before buying.
Explore Prime Video — Opens in a new tab
Catalog availability and subscription terms vary.
Melancholia
movie
R
March 16, 2011
Wokeometer Rating
2Based
Scale: 0 = not woke, 10 = maximally woke
TL;DR Verdict
Melancholia earns a low 2/10 woke score by focusing purely on personal depression, family tensions, and existential dread with zero identity politics or activist framing.
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Detailed Analysis
Melancholia centers its narrative on the personal depression of Justine and the family tensions with her sister Claire as a rogue planet approaches Earth, splitting the story between a wedding day breakdown and the later family response to impending collision.
The premise draws directly from clinical melancholy and existential dread without incorporating identity politics, systemic critiques, or activist framing of any kind. Female leads drive the story through their sisterly bonds and mental health struggles rather than any empowerment arcs or messaging. Creator intent stems from Lars von Trier's documented experiences with depression, which shape the film's metaphor of personal collapse over any social commentary. Audience reception focuses on the strength of the performances and visual style with no recorded controversies or discourse around political elements, confirming the absence of ideological content in the production or its themes.
Key Factors
- Core premise and themes revolve exclusively around personal depression, family dynamics, and existential dread with no identity politics, systemic critiques, or activist framing
- Female leads are justified by the story's focus on mental illness and sisterly bonds, not modern feminist messaging or empowerment arcs
- Creator intent centers on von Trier's own experiences with depression; reception highlights performances and visuals without any 'woke' discourse or casting controversies
Methodology: Each score synthesizes audience discourse, critic and aggregator reception, and press coverage — weighed against the work itself, not any single source.
Detailed BreakdownPro
Identity Politics & Racial Essentialism
Gender Ideology & LGBTQ+ Themes
DEI Casting & Representation Mandates
Preachiness & Message-First Agenda
Corporate & Creator Activism
See how this title scores across all 5 woke subcategories with detailed explanations.
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Is Melancholia Woke?
We've run a full content analysis on Melancholia and scored it 2/10 on the woke scale. Read our detailed breakdown above to see exactly what we found.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of woke content is in Melancholia?
Our analysis checks for themes like identity politics, race-swapping, gender ideology, environmental activism, anti-religious messaging, and other progressive agenda elements. The score breakdown above shows which specific categories were flagged and how heavily they factor into Melancholia's overall score.
Is Melancholia family-friendly?
Wokeometer focuses on ideological content rather than traditional ratings (violence, language, etc.). Melancholia is rated R. For a full picture, combine our woke analysis with the age rating to decide if it's right for your family.
How does Wokeometer score movies?
We evaluate media across multiple ideological categories on a 0–10 scale. Scores of 0–3 mean story-first, 4–6 have moderate elements, and 7–10 flag heavily agenda-driven content. Learn more about our methodology →
