The concept for the film arose during Lars von Trier own struggle with depression as he attended therapy sessions for his treatment. The theory that depressive individuals have a tendency to act more tranquilly in stressful situations than others was conveyed to the director by a therapist. Thus, the idea for the protagonist’s passive state was conceived in that a melancholic already expect terrible things to occur. The film considered as von Trier’s personal masterpiece is a second entry into the unofficial “Depression Trilogy” which was heralded by Antichrist and followed by Nymphomaniac. In which von Trier utilizes his own depressive episode as inspiration to examine the human psyche during depression and also during a cataclysm.
Furthermore, the idea of Nibiru cataclysm as the background of the film was inspired by webpages on the internet that explored the theories of such planetary collisions. With the notion to follow the plot structure in which the audience already knows the end of the world will occur, he decided to make it apparent from the film’s onset. In order to avoid the distraction of suspense but rather concentrate on how the events will unfold.
During its conception, von Trier had earlier letter exchanges with Spanish actress Penélope Cruz regularly referencing the play The Maids by Jean Genet. Through these exchanges, the idea of the two sisters Justine and Claire in Melancholia evolved from the play’s two maids. Moreover, the protagonist’s name was also inspired by Marquis de Sade’s 1791 novel Justine with much of the character’s personality based on the director himself.
Von Trier has cited German Romanticism as the inspiration of Melancholia in that the film is associated with a profound sense of yearning. On the visual elements, he hoped to capture the clash between romantic and majestic with a hint of realism.
