One of the most interesting opening sequences in terms of visual style in cinema. The music is of course the beginning of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde -- which is overused throughout the film. The director wanted a "romantic" film about the end of the world (see interview http://youtu.be/4qtr-7pkTxI) and thought the music would help -- but aspects of his personality seeps into almost all the characters. There's probably a great comparative study of this film with Terrence Malick's Tree of Life. - Adriano