Review of Breaking the Waves (2014) by Pavan R — 21 Sep 2009

I'd like to say that I mostly enjoyed Breaking the Waves, although after having seen director Lars Von Trier's Dancer in the Dark, I had been preparing myself mentally for a similar boatload of anguish, which unfortunately this movie failed to provide. Ebert talks about another critic having to leave the theater during the initial screening of the movie to recover from the grief, but nothing really struck me in that way... which was kind of a disappointment.

But still, I think I mostly enjoyed it. Although I do keep coming back to Drew Smith, a reviewer here on Flixter, who gave the film a paltry 2 stars and has this to say: "For a movie to have depth, it must first say something, and Breaking the Waves simply doesn't. The most you could probably ascribe to it is as a dialectic on Christianity, but the movie spins so far off its axis that it's completely ineffective for this purpose.".

I guess the reason that I bring this up is because I don't really know what the movie was trying to show, either. It's one thing to show the "systematic destruction of a naive, slightly unbalanced woman and everything she loves" (Smith's words again), but toward what purpose is that leading the film? There is a strange twist near the film's conclusion that brings the theological slant into full focus, but what of it? Is the movie somehow sanctioning Bess' actions after her husband's debilitating accident (she sleeps with other men, thinking that that will cure her hubby)? Or is it just standing behind the fact that she believes that she is helping? Is blind faith good? What makes Bess different than the men in her church - both refuse to listen to the wisdom of people who can see things much more objectively than themselves.

The most striking line in the movie - indeed, probably the best line in the movie - comes when Bess is trying to explain to her doctor that everybody has one certain thing that they do well. Flabbergasted, he expects her to tell him that her talent is sleeping with random men. But she explains to him her talent: "I can believe.".

But the question remains: why? Why does Bess' husband ask her to prostitute herself for his amusement? Why is Bess declared "good" for following through on those actions? Does the movie agree with its characters, that her actions are good? If so, why - because they are selfless, or because they are a product of faith? Or something different? What is the meaning of the all too obvious reference to Jesus when Bess is pushing her bike up the hill while children throw pebbles at her? Is Bess a martyr, a savior, a prophet? What role does she play here?

It would be easy, I suppose, to write the film off in the way that Smith has. It would be quite simple to call the movie mere exploitation, to complain that the film has no underlying meaning, to say that it fails to say what it thinks it is saying. And maybe at another time I would have been quicker to write it off. But right now, it feels flawed, yes, but worth it for these questions that arise. I wish I could discuss them with a group of friends, instead of just with myself online. I wish that Breaking the Waves was clearer, but the confusion has so far only served to keep me thinking about it. Not that confusion is a virtue.

So here is the short version: Breaking the Waves is a strange and sadistic tale with vague religious overtones that don't seem to add up. Yes, the principal actors are all lovely, and the film is mostly enjoyable, but definitely could have done more to improve its coherence.