Editing Lars von Trier (section)

=== 2009–2014: ''Depression'' trilogy ===
The ''Depression'' trilogy consists of ''[[Antichrist (film)|Antichrist]]'', ''[[Melancholia (2011 film)|Melancholia]]'', and ''[[Nymphomaniac (film)|Nymphomaniac]]''. The three films star [[Charlotte Gainsbourg]], and deal with characters who suffer depression or grief in different ways. This trilogy is said to represent the depression that Trier himself experiences.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://arts.nationalpost.com/2014/03/20/nyphomaniac-volumes-i-and-ii-reviewed-lars-von-triers-sexually-graphic-pairing-will-titillate-but-fails-to-satisfy/ |title=''Nyphomaniac'', ''Volumes I'' and ''II'', reviewed: Lars von&nbsp;Trier's sexually graphic pairing will titillate, but fails to satisfy |last=Knight |first=Chris |date=20 March 2014 |work=[[National Post]] |access-date=15 August 2014 |archive-date=23 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223132752/http://arts.nationalpost.com/2014/03/20/nyphomaniac-volumes-i-and-ii-reviewed-lars-von-triers-sexually-graphic-pairing-will-titillate-but-fails-to-satisfy/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Antichrist'' follows "a grieving couple who retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping a return to Eden will repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage; but nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/AntichristHD |title=Antichrist HD : Kyle Kallgren : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive |date=15 February 2018 |access-date=21 September 2018}}</ref> The film stars [[Willem Dafoe]] and Gainsbourg. It premiered in competition at the 2009 [[Cannes Film Festival]], where the festival's jury honoured the movie by giving the Best Actress award to Gainsbourg.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0525/1224247325203.html?digest=1 |title=Cannes jury gives its heart to works of graphic darkness |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=5 May 2009 |access-date=15 July 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120920/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0525/1224247325203.html?digest=1 |archive-date=20 September 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

''Melancholia'', released in 2011, is an apocalyptic drama about two depressive sisters played by [[Kirsten Dunst]] and Gainsbourg, the former of whom marries just before a [[rogue planet]] is about to collide with Earth.<ref>{{Citation |title=Brows Held High: Melancholia Part 2 | date=24 April 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHXjNGzPbS4 |language=en |access-date=2023-01-18}}</ref> The film was in competition at the [[2011 Cannes Film Festival]], where it won the Best Actress award for Dunst.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/article/58041.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Official Selection |access-date=14 April 2011 |work=Cannes |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120920/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/article/58041.html |archive-date=20 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Following ''Melancholia'', von Trier began the production of ''Nymphomaniac'', a film about the sexual awakening of a woman played by Gainsbourg.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slashfilm.com/lars-von-trier-the-nymphomaniac/ |title=Lars von Trier to Make 'The Nymphomaniac' Next? |last=Pham |first=Andrias |date=24 March 2011 |work=Slashfilm |access-date=24 March 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120918/http://www.slashfilm.com/lars-von-trier-the-nymphomaniac/ |archive-date=18 September 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> In early December 2013, a four-hour version was shown to the press in a private preview session. The cast also included [[Stellan Skarsgård]] (in his sixth film for von Trier), [[Shia LaBeouf]], [[Willem Dafoe]], [[Jamie Bell]], [[Christian Slater]], and [[Uma Thurman]]. In response to claims that he had merely created a "[[pornographic film|porn film]]", Skarsgård stated "... if you look at this film, it's actually a really bad porn movie, even if you fast forward. And after a while you find you don't even react to the explicit scenes. They become as natural as seeing someone eating a bowl of cereal."{{quote without source|date = March 2023}} For its public release in the United Kingdom, the film was divided into two volumes.{{citation needed|date = March 2023}} The film premiered in the UK on 22{{nbsp}}February 2014.{{citation needed|date = March 2023}}

In interviews prior to the film's release, Gainsbourg and co-star [[Stacy Martin]] revealed that [[prosthesis|prosthetic]] vaginas, body doubles, and special effects were used for the production of the film. Martin also stated that the film's characters were a reflection of the director himself, and referred to the experience as an "honour" that she enjoyed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nymphomaniac star Charlotte Gainsbourg: 'The sex wasn't hard. The masochistic scenes were embarrassing' – video interview |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2014/feb/20/nymphomaniac-charlotte-gainsbourg-sex-video-interview |access-date=21 February 2014 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=20 February 2014 |first1=Xan |last1=Brooks |first2=Henry |last2=Barnes |format=Video upload |archive-date=21 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221071346/http://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2014/feb/20/nymphomaniac-charlotte-gainsbourg-sex-video-interview |url-status=live }}</ref> The film was also released in two "volumes" for the Australian release on 20 March 2014, with an interval separating the back-to-back sections. In February 2014, an uncensored version of ''Volume I'' was shown at the Berlin Film Festival, with no announcement of when or if the complete five-and-a-half-hour ''Nymphomaniac'' would be made available to the public.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2014/film/festivals/nymphomaniac-vol-1-bigger-longer-and-uncut-1201094720/ |title='Nymphomaniac Vol. 1' Review: Bigger, Longer and Uncut |first=Scott |last=Foundas |date=9 February 2014 |access-date=9 May 2017 |archive-date=26 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926235606/http://variety.com/2014/film/festivals/nymphomaniac-vol-1-bigger-longer-and-uncut-1201094720/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The complete version premiered at the 2014 [[Venice Film Festival]] and was shortly afterward released in a limited theatrical run worldwide that fall.{{citation needed|date = March 2023}}