Review of Breaking the Waves (2014) by Arianeta L — 04 Sep 2009

Breaking the Waves is a 1996 film directed by Lars von Trier (It is the first film in Trier's 'Golden Heart Trilogy' which also includes The Idiots from 1998 and Dancer in the Dark from 2000) and starring Emily Watson. Set in the Scottish Highlands in the early 1970s and tells the story of Bess McNeill, who marries oil rig worker Jan, despite the apprehensions of her community and Calvinist church. Bess is somewhat simple and childlike, and has difficulty living without Jan when he is away on the oil platform. She prays for his return, and when he returns paralyzed after an industrial accident, she believes it is her fault.

Breaking the Waves" is meticulous in its details, yet when the movie is over, there are tens of questions left unanswered.

The performances are, in fact, uniformly excellent and that having been said, the real crux of Breaking the Waves is a circumstance that can't be revealed in a movie review. I just say that once the narrative concludes, von Trier gives us an "epilogue" that confounds all expectations. The last moments of this film are by far the most challenging. Without resort to mere words, von Trier breaks the bounds of narrative and presents a resolution that's as troublesome as it is fulfilling. In a bold refutation of its own grim, nearly sardonic logic, Breaking the Waves cuts to the quick of religious faith, personal sacrifice, and human existence.

It's definitely the most poignant, heart-ripping movie I've seen so far.