Breaking the Waves (1996)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Lars von Trier

Writers:

Lars von Trier (written by)
Peter Asmussen (co-written by)

Release Date:

13 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love is a mighty power.

Plot:

Oilman Jan is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when Jan urges her to have sex with another.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Accident | Sex | Scotland | Oil Rig

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 40 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Emily Watson	...	Bess McNeill
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Jan Nyman
Katrin Cartlidge	...	Dodo McNeill
Jean-Marc Barr	...	Terry
Adrian Rawlins	...	Dr. Richardson
Jonathan Hackett	...	Priest
Sandra Voe	...	Mother
Udo Kier	...	Sadistic Sailor
Mikkel Gaup	...	Pits
Roef Ragas	...	Pim
Phil McCall	...	Grandfather
Robert Robertson	...	Chairman
Desmond Reilly	...	An Elder
Sarah Gudgeon	...	Sybilla
Finlay Welsh	...	Coroner (as Finley Welsh)

Also Known As:

Amor omnie (Denmark) (working title)
Breaking the Waves (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic sexuality, nudity, language and some violence.

Runtime:

159 min | USA:153 min (director's cut)

Country:

Denmark | Sweden | France | Netherlands | Norway | Iceland

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:R | Canada:18A | Chile:18 | Denmark:12 | Finland:K-14 | France:-12 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:III | Hungary:16 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Argentina:16 | Israel:18

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Company:

Argus Film Produktie

Trivia:

Barbara Sukowa was attached to this project at one stage.

Quotes:

The Minister: Can you tell me about anything of real value that the outsiders have brought with them?
Bess McNeill: Uh... their music?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Zomergasten: (#20.1)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Barren Rock of Eden

Very difficult to watch

Emily Watson's performance is extraordinary, and Stellan Skargard is very good, but this is without a doubt the most degrading, depressing and tragic movie I have seen in a long, long time. I had to force myself to watch it, hoping that somehow something redeeming would transpire. Two and one half hours later I can say that it did not. I wish I could say that this was a great work of art, but it is not. It is a sad, very sad commentary on the madness of human beings, a twentieth century `tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.' Particularly depressing were the church fathers in their beards and their stupidity. And be forewarned, the sexuality is degrading, and the very essence of human love is willfully and repeatedly perverted.

In making this movie, Director Lars von Trier no doubt sought a kinship with the tragedies of Shakespeare and the Greeks in which the fates destroy the protagonist because of a so-called `fatal flaw,' a flaw the protagonist cannot help. Bess's fatal flaw was her childlike nature twisted by circumstance. In the great tragedies the essential purpose is to bring the audience, through its involvement and its identification with the protagonist, to a catharsis, a catharsis that cleanses the emotions and allows us to see the world as it really is, free of self-delusion. But Von Trier's bizarre and pathetic ending with those ridiculous bells in the sky was closer to bathos than anything else, and steered us not toward catharsis but into a kind of emotional limbo where not even emptiness is felt.