Review of Breaking the Waves (2014) by Jay Y — 12 Sep 2008

If I were being completely truthful, I would say that this movie wasn't as devastating as I was expecting it to be and that's due entirely to Emily Watson's performance, which ought to be iconic by now.

Instead of making a catastrophically complicated mess out of her character, she brings a weird kind of enchantedness to it. That is, admittedly, part of the written character, but this kind of interpretation could not have been conjured in a more spot-on way.

In fact, if anybody else had been played the character, it probably would have been embarrassing to watch. She is by the far the best aspect of the film and, luckily, she pretty much IS the film.