Review of The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012) by Carlos M — 17 Sep 2013

Elise and Diedier, a match made in heaven. Not only do they play in the same bluegrass band but they are also married and have a wonderful daughter. However, their happiness is put under threat when their daughter is diagnosed with cancer.

In reference to a reoccurring theme in the film, The Broken Circle Breakdown may be the ultimate mixture of the American and European cinematic structures in both language, clever structure but also emotional and psychological depth.

The broken circle breakdown, in fact, is an original, deeply melancholic and grippingly moving domestic drama with unique takes on the themes of life and death. The central characters of Elise and Didier are very romantic, rebellious and conventionally cinematic, living on the edge of conventionality in a nostalgic type of rebellious life.

And while the comments on American politics may seem explicit, they are not as direct as they would seem on the surface, as they represent the end of the dream and the disenchantment with life that Didier experiences after tragedy threatens his family and his idyllic lifestyle.

Van Groenigen's choice to juxtapose scenes of different time and place never gets in the way of the flow of the film, which ends up being powerful, harrowing and haunting - on top of that, the musical interludes are welcome additions and indeed play a key role in the shaping of the film.