Some people find the films of Lars von Trier depressing. Now the director says that he himself is depressed — possibly so depressed that he will not be able to make what was supposed to be his next film, Antichrist. Reports the Associated Press:
The Danish director Lars Von Trier said a period of depression has left him unable to work and he has doubts about when he will return to filmmaking.
In an interview published Saturday in the Politiken newspaper, Von Trier said the aftermath of his depression has left him “like a blank sheet of paper.”
“It’s very strange for me, because I’ve always had at least three projects in my head at one time,” he said.
The filmmaker was admitted to a Danish hospital around the beginning of the year to be treated for depression. Since then, he said, he has lost focus and takes no pleasure in his work.
“You can’t make a film and be depressed at the same time,” he was quoted as saying. “They say that it can take a couple of years to recover after a depression. But let us see.” . . .
Von Trier said he is unsure whether he will be able to begin work on a horror movie called “Antichrist” that he planned to start filming toward the middle of this year. The movie depicts Satan, rather than God, as the world’s creator.
“I assume that ‘Antichrist’ will be my next movie. But right now I don’t know,” he said.
Von Trier also mentions that he thinks his best movie is Dogville (2003), and FWIW, I know a few people who would agree.
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