Breaking the Waves (1996)

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:

Helena Bonham Carter was originally cast in the role of Bess.

Quotes:

Dodo McNeill: Not one of you has the right to consign Bess to hell!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in From Dogma to Dogville: Don't Try This at Home (2006)

Soundtrack:

In a Broken Dream

A powerful, original vision. One of the greatest movies of the last ten years.

It's a pity that for most people Lars von Trier's involvement with the Dogme group of film makers is the main thing they know about him. Wherever you stand on the Dogme issue (personally I'm all for it as long as they continue to make movies as great as 'Festen' and 'The Idiots'), his brief alliance with the group has overshadowed amazing work like 'Element Of Crime', 'Europa' and 'Breaking The Waves'. 'Breaking The Waves' was made before the Dogme manifesto was formulated, but it can be seen as a step in that direction, with its use of documentary techniques as opposed to the flamboyant and highly stylized approach of von Trier's earlier films. To me the ends justifies the means, and the bottom line is that this is an extraordinary and powerful movie, one of the greatest of the last ten years. The main reason it is so remarkable is because of the devastating performance of Emily Watson, one of the most impressive screen debuts in the history of film. Watson plays Bess McNeill, a naive and odd young woman living in a remote and deeply religious Scottish community. She is so good in this movie she'll leave you speechless! Stellan Skarsgard, a most underrated actor in my opinion,('Insomnia', 'Ronin') plays Bess's husband and is also superb, and the supporting cast includes the late Katrin Cartlidge ('Naked') as Watson's sister-in-law, and von Trier regulars Jean-Marc Barr (almost unrecognizable from his leading role in 'Europa'), as one of Skarsgard's work buddies, and cult legend Udo Kier ('Flesh For Frankenstein', 'The Story Of O') in a cameo as a very nasty piece of work who Bess has the misfortune to encounter. The less you know about this movie the more powerful it will be, and even a jaded cynic like myself was surprised at how effective its spiritual theme was. To me 'Breaking The Waves' is a much better more than von Trier's better known 'Dancer In The Dark', and Watson's performance makes Bjork's look like that of an enthusiastic but not very talented amateur (which of course, is exactly what she is). Highly recommended.