Review of The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012) by Harry W — 14 May 2014

I had no idea what to expect from The Broken Circle Breakdown, but as it was a well received film which was said to be much like Walk the Line, I decided to check it out.

The Broken Circle Breakdown is like a mix of Brokeback Mountain, Walk the Line and The Rabbit Hole because it combines many of the themes from each film, making it a country themed romantic drama involving country music and a troubled marriage at the hands of a sick child. And with massive ambitions, director Felix Van Groeningen takes the opportunity and writes an exceptional story which is full of intelligent and realistic language, and then directs it to massive success. The Broken Circle Breakdown was so firm in its drama because it respected viewers enough not to dissolve into formulaic material, and it instead takes a lot of unexpected twists and turns without overloading the film with them. The Broken Circle Breakdown is consistent in its drama and it's gentle pace, and even though the material is a little familiar, director Felix Van Groeningen manages to find ways to transcend that.

Unlike many other films with a plot structure like The Broken Circle Breakdown, this one actually makes it work. Often, constant jumps between different time periods can prove jiggering and confusing, leaving viewed uncertain about why had happened or what time it has happened in. In The Broken Circle Breakdown, director Felix Van Groeningen manages to get it dead on. The plot structure in The Broken Circle Breakdown becomes one of its most key elements, because thanks to the clever script writing and the director's keen eye for appropriate imagery, it is really easy to tell when things are happening in the chronology of the story. A lot of the time, one scene will contrast the next and will display significantly different experiences between the characters to ones they have previously experienced. This creates a lot of firm drama for the film and makes it all an interesting experience because it defies the formula of the usual drama film which deals with such material and leaves viewers with uncertainty about what will happen next or how to feel. It is a real emotional rollercoaster which is all over he place, and it is a very interesting experience which never gets confusing. And each segment of the story is given an appropriate length so that the scenes never feel short and pointless or as if they drone on for too long. Even though The Broken Circle Breakdown keeps making jumps between different timeframes and doesn't remain consistent in the time periods, Felix Van Groeningen manages to execute it well enough so that every scene is dramatically spot on. And the pure strength of The Broken Circle Breakdown was powerful enough to almost have me left in tears. There is lot of potential written into The Broken Circle Breakdown by Felix Van Groeningen, and he harnesses it as director by giving it the perfect dramatic treatment and an interesting plot structure so that it is built on firm roots and can only get better from there which is exactly what happens.

As well as being dramatically great, The Broken Circle Breakdown is visually very appealing. Although at times the lighting may be a bit from for viewers to really see what is going on, especially during the nighttime sequences, the visual style of The Broken Circle Breakdown is great.

The country themed scenery of the film is beautiful in The Broken Circle Breakdown, and the cinematography captures it greatly. And it always maintains a sort of dry greyish colour palette which keeps the dramatic mood of the film symbolised by the visual style. And it is all captured with really great cinematography which sometimes captures the grand scale of the countryside and at other times is a lot more focused on maintaining the atmosphere of the film, particularly in the very dramatic scenes because it is at those moments that the cinematography turns very atmospheric in capturing the claustrophobic state of mind that the characters are in. So the cinematography in The Broken Circle Breakdown is beautiful.

And also, although I don't fully understand why the many foreign actors are always singing in English, the bluegrass music in The Broken Circle Breakdown is beautiful and is composed of a lot of wonderful country tune, sung with the passionate voices of the cast and played with talented musical strength on behalf of the same people. It gives a really good edge to the film and manages to be mood setting at times, so the music in The Broken Circle Breakdown proves to be a very nice touch.

And lastly, the thing that makes the material so compelling is the performances of the cast.

Johan Heldenbergh gives an exceptional lead performance in The Broken Circle Breakdown. He is consistently strong with his approach to the material, and there are many moments where he becomes especially strong because he constantly feels real in how he delivers his lines. His physicality constantly has a rough edge to it which has plenty of emotional strength, while his line delivery has the same. Frankly, Johan Heldenbergh's performance in The Broken Circle Breakdown is great because it is an honest one. And when he plays and sings Bluegrass music, you can see a certain kind of spirit in him which shows the passion he has for it all. When Johan Heldenbergh sung, I saw the face of Kris Kristofferson in him. And when he acted, I saw the passion of Josh Brolin in him as well. So Johan Heldenbergh brings natural strength to the the role of Didier Bontinck which makes him a perfect lead.

And Veerle Baetens gives it a fine effort as well. The young woman is a very beautiful and talented actress who takes the chance in The Broken Circle Breakdown to prove what she is really all about, and her effort is absolutely fearless. Packed with emotional strength, Veerle Baetens takes on the of Elise Vandevelde without trouble and makes a powerful impression as the mother of a sick child, the wife in a troubled marriage and the young spirit who loves tattoo art and Bluegrass music. When she sings, she had a beautiful voice. And when she acts, you can see her baring her soul out to the audience, and it is very impressive and compelling. Veerle Baetens gives a firm performance in The Broken Circle Breakdown, and sharing a grand chemistry with Johan Heldenbergh, the two of them make a powerful leading duo.

The performance of the young Nell Cattrysse in the part of Maybelle is also terrific because her youthful charm makes it easy for audiences to find themselves truly caring about her, and so when she becomes ill it creates a serious impact on viewers. It is difficult for a child to portray someone so sick without a lot of issues, but Nell Cattrysse manages to do it within the timeframe of a mere few screen moments. She makes the film all the more compelling and harder to face, and in her youth she captures the love of the audience and the innocence of the character without fear, and it is thoroughly impressive.

So despite a sense of familiarity in the themes, The Broken Circle Breakdown takes an all new spin on its story and makes use of an interesting plot structure and exceptional acting to prove just what kind of an excellent filmmaker Felix Van Groeningen truly is, and it's nomination for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the most well deserved of all the nominees.