Breaking the Waves (1996)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Graham J

  
  A disturbing yet beautiful film. Von Trier's masterpiece and the best use of a Rod Stewart song in a movie.

• Mark W

  
  This was controversial Danish director Lars Von Trier's first film in English and also the first in his "Golden Hearts" trilogy in which the heroines remain naive despite their actions. The two other parts are "The Idiots" and "Dancer in the Dark"… More
  This was controversial Danish director Lars Von Trier's first film in English and also the first in his "Golden Hearts" trilogy in which the heroines remain naive despite their actions. The two other parts are "The Idiots" and "Dancer in the Dark" but this is the strongest of the three. Bess (Emily Watson) is a devout, church going, innocent young woman living in a remote Scottish village in the 1970's. She possesses a real sweetness, warmth and affection but she's also not right in the head. She marries oil rig worker Jan (Stellan Skarsgard) and is unable to bear separation from him when he leaves for work. When he is brought back from the rig paralysed after an accident, her obsession adds to his despair. They arrive at a bizarre arrangement; he urges her to take a lover, for his own sexual gratification and she interprets this as a spiritual mission. Von Trier shoots in a grainy, almost documentary like style (with help from respected cinematographer Robby Muller) adding to the realism of his story and his characters. Emily Watson (in her debut) is commanding throughout with a marvellous and brave performance. Her physical and mental struggle is tragically and achingly portrayed. Von Trier's films tend not to be easy viewing, or the treatment of his female characters, for that matter. Just look at the aforementioned films, as well as, "Dogville" and "AntiChrist". This is no exception and any actress taking on a role in his films needs to be committed. Watson certainly is here and commands the screen entirely. The only downside that the film suffers from, is it's length. After the two hour mark, and another half hour to go, it overstays it's welcome. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem but the subject matter is so depressing that it becomes an exhausting experience. Not to everyone's tastes but if your a fan of Von Trier, then it's essential viewing. But, as always, with the provocative director, it doesn't paint a pretty picture.

• moon r

  
  Breathtaking and heartbreaking, here is a unusual story about a small town woman, thought slow, simple and stupid by her peers, her unbelievably monumental faith in God ... and the bittersweet price for that faith. Not for the faint of heart.

• Reid V

  
  An incredibly powerful film. While not as vulgar as Antichrist, don't expect to feel comfortable while watching this film. The Cinema-và (C)rità (C) style of this film gives this movie a realistic touch which makes the subject matter all the more troubling to handle. Yet, if you… More
  An incredibly powerful film. While not as vulgar as Antichrist, don't expect to feel comfortable while watching this film. The Cinema-và (C)rità (C) style of this film gives this movie a realistic touch which makes the subject matter all the more troubling to handle. Yet, if you can brave the intense exploration into religion and sex, you will find a beautifully constructed film that will not leave you unchanged.

• Conner R

  
  Call Lars Von Trier a misogynistic pig if you want, but he makes some of the most interesting movies about relationships, religion, sex and just about everything else. This is presented in beautiful 35mm stock in order to get that home movie look that is perfect for all the close ups… More
  Call Lars Von Trier a misogynistic pig if you want, but he makes some of the most interesting movies about relationships, religion, sex and just about everything else. This is presented in beautiful 35mm stock in order to get that home movie look that is perfect for all the close ups and hand held tactics. While this certainly is a great looking movie, it is not without incredible performances and unforgettable characters. Both Emily Watson and Stellan Skarsgard convince us in less than 10 minutes that they are truly and deeply in love, which is no easy feat. Then, they manage to give so much emotion and physicality (well, not Skarsgard obviously) to their respecting roles that the tragedy/love epic is as effective as intended. Von Trier's understanding of what it takes to capture a powerful performance while also keeping in mind the visual aesthetics is unmatched. It's as if everything was so meticulously casual that it becomes almost ridiculous to try and fathom how he gets some of the shots he does. I love the way this plays around with faith and religion. It manages to give criticism, but at the same time respect people's beliefs. Von Trier's work is so stylized and particular that I can see why he has his critics, but at the same time it's easy to see why so many people worship him.

• Wildaly M

  
  This was definitely a mesmerizing experience. The film is about so many things but what stood out most to me was the religious subject matter. There's definitely a lot that can be said, little that I agree with and a lot that could make you feel just depressed/disgusted about the… More
  This was definitely a mesmerizing experience. The film is about so many things but what stood out most to me was the religious subject matter. There's definitely a lot that can be said, little that I agree with and a lot that could make you feel just depressed/disgusted about the whole thing. In conclusion... definitely worth watching.

• Anthony L

  
  Probably the most underrated, overlooked and misunderstood film of all time. Don't let the awful American poster put you off either, because this is without a doubt the most beautiful film made in the last 25 years. Its subject matter, pace and Dogma style puts many people off,… More
  Probably the most underrated, overlooked and misunderstood film of all time. Don't let the awful American poster put you off either, because this is without a doubt the most beautiful film made in the last 25 years. Its subject matter, pace and Dogma style puts many people off, and to be fair it not everybodies cup of tea, but give it a chance. The last scene, in my opinion, is the best ever in the history of Cinema, a bold statement I know by I stand by it! Brilliant!

• El Hombre I

  
  Although the cover of the dvd looks like something Richard Gere may star in, make no mistake...Lars von Trier has made a great film with stunning performances and dramatic intensity. In addition to its' message about sacrificial love, Breaking the Waves reveals the contrast… More
  Although the cover of the dvd looks like something Richard Gere may star in, make no mistake...Lars von Trier has made a great film with stunning performances and dramatic intensity. In addition to its' message about sacrificial love, Breaking the Waves reveals the contrast between the repression of some types of religion and the individual spirituality. A simple summary doesn't really give you a feel for it. You have to feel the motivations through the Watson character, and you have to feel with her that she is always trying to do the right thing, out of love. She somehow pulls that off and allows you to understand her completely, becoming vulnerable in every way. Holy shit, this is a heavy film. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=breaking-the-waves_l.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/breaking-the-waves_l.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Luke B

  
  The Von Trier way of film making is always fascinating, usually not only due to the stories he has to tell but also the way he tells them. Breaking the Waves is simple compared to his other works (Dogville, Dancer in the Dark) but all the better for it. Watson plays a highly religious… More
  The Von Trier way of film making is always fascinating, usually not only due to the stories he has to tell but also the way he tells them. Breaking the Waves is simple compared to his other works (Dogville, Dancer in the Dark) but all the better for it. Watson plays a highly religious and very naive young woman who enters a marriage. She is a simple woman who may or may not talk directly to God. Everything is handled brilliantly from the heart warming marriage to the sweet awkwardness of the sexual encounters. As Watson becomes selfish in her love the film becomes darker but this just allows for a more beautiful ending. The fantastically grainy look really makes it seem like a slice of real life. Characters aren't quirky and there is a severe lack of happiness. The setting on a religiously strict island adds to the tension and fight within Bess as she fights for a love of God and her man but also the love she wishes to feel herself.

• Drew S

  
  I don't really feel like giving this film much credit, but for all its hatefulness and misogyny and its impossibly warped view of the world, it does have a few strengths. Emily Watson's performance is one of them; it's nice to think that her Oscar nomination is… More
  I don't really feel like giving this film much credit, but for all its hatefulness and misogyny and its impossibly warped view of the world, it does have a few strengths. Emily Watson's performance is one of them; it's nice to think that her Oscar nomination is appropriate reward for the dignity she sacrificed here, weeping hysterically in every other scene and having eerie channeled dialogues with God in others. It is to her tremendous credit that she pulls them off, but again, this role is absolutely degrading. Bess is merely a conduit for Lars von Trier's inflamed "torturing good-hearted women" fetish. There's nothing to show for this movie except for the systematic destruction of a naive, slightly unbalanced woman and everything she loves. 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. If religion is futile, how do you explain Bess' sacrifice and the resulting consequence? The final few seconds of the movie? You can take it a step further and hone it into a faith vs. organized religion argument, but Bess is unironically colored as insane for the faith she exhibits. The movie is just looking for excuses to kick her while she's down and trying to make it seem purposeful. On an ideological basis, I'd have given this movie only one star. It is well-made and reasonably gripping on a narrative level, but only in the way that you can't turn away from a train wreck. Emily Watson's performance earns it another. If this movie doesn't imprint her name on the mind of any cinephile, nothing will. Past that, Breaking the Waves' value ends. Perhaps the greatest irony of all in the film is that the license plate on Bess' moped says "LOL."

• Dean M

  
  Exquisite, thought-provoking tale of a young woman whose marriage to a strong and handsome oil-rig worker is jeopardised when he's paralysed due to an accident. Encouraged by her husband to seek out other lovers, Bess's quest to heal her husband opens a world of emotions… More
  Exquisite, thought-provoking tale of a young woman whose marriage to a strong and handsome oil-rig worker is jeopardised when he's paralysed due to an accident. Encouraged by her husband to seek out other lovers, Bess's quest to heal her husband opens a world of emotions inside her.

• Adam M

  
  it's coarsely manipulative; but the performances, camera work and editing make it more than cruel and easy-pretentious; Scorsese loves it

• Joey N

  
  It's long and complex, so be warned. But there's something undeniable going on here. A challenging subtext involving religion, morality, feminism and some combination of the three. At least that's what I got out of it. The reason to see this though is for Emily… More
  It's long and complex, so be warned. But there's something undeniable going on here. A challenging subtext involving religion, morality, feminism and some combination of the three. At least that's what I got out of it. The reason to see this though is for Emily Watson's deeply weird, amazing performance. One of the best ever, in fact. She even has two way conversations with God; not many actresses can pull that off.

• Lauren D

  
  I really enjoyed it. I didn't think I would, because the plot sounded... not like my kind of thing. And it had a great ending.

• Ed Fucking H

  
  What a downer this one was. First off it really needs to be said that Emily Watson delivers an absolutely brilliant performance. It was literally painful watching her throughout this film. The rest of the cast kept up for sure, but Watson was above and beyond everyone else on screen… More
  What a downer this one was. First off it really needs to be said that Emily Watson delivers an absolutely brilliant performance. It was literally painful watching her throughout this film. The rest of the cast kept up for sure, but Watson was above and beyond everyone else on screen easily. The photography in this movie was also absolutely beautiful, and I felt the film benefited overall from the Dogma style camera work. Now onto the controversy that seems to surround everything Lars Von Trear does. As far as accusations of misogyny go, I really don't agree in any of his films I have seen so far. I am starting to notice a common pattern, however, in that in most of his films the female lead is almost always naive, to the point of being incredibly clueless and borderline stupid. Still though his leading female characters always have hearts of gold and are ultimately the victims of cruel, arrogant, opertunistic men. Accusations of misanthropy would make much more sense to me as almost none of the characters in Von Trears films are ever both kind hearted and smart or powerful. Thats not to say there arent likeable characters in his films, just none of them are ever the usual perfect specimens that most hollywood films rely on for their protagonists. I saw this movie more as an attack against organized religion and the herd mentality it instills on its followers. I'm not going to give the ending away but Jesus would have understood that Bess was following the righteous path of love, despite putting herself through Hell to do such. Yes, this movie is difficult to watch at times and its not going to be for everybody, but if you want to watch an emotionally powerful film, that is also extremely challenging and complex, then I would strongly recommend this.

• Dimitris S

  
  An elegy of a passionate,disproportionate nonetheless relationship,it's not that a divine creature could have controlled the subsequent actions of Bess,Von Trier IS the maestro who doesn't takes sides for all that matters.he preferably speaks through an alarm clock,the one… More
  An elegy of a passionate,disproportionate nonetheless relationship,it's not that a divine creature could have controlled the subsequent actions of Bess,Von Trier IS the maestro who doesn't takes sides for all that matters.he preferably speaks through an alarm clock,the one which vitalizes our inner strength and where religion is (arguably) the "foreigner".

• Henrik S

  
  It is not my favourite Lars von Trier, I much prefer his America trilogy over his Golden heart trilogy (of which this movie is the third), because of the former being more conceptual and I think that fits more nicely (as in being contradictive) into von Trier's radical views.… More
  It is not my favourite Lars von Trier, I much prefer his America trilogy over his Golden heart trilogy (of which this movie is the third), because of the former being more conceptual and I think that fits more nicely (as in being contradictive) into von Trier's radical views. Emily Watson is mesmerizingly brilliant in this movie, and I think she should have gotten more praise for her performance, not even in the form of an Academy Award (which went to Frances McDormand) but in general. She is a very underappreciated actress. The rest of the cast was solid and not as illustrious as in other von Trier movies (such as Dogville or Manderlay). Cinematography was top notch but the basic premise of the movie (while not its execution) is the apogee of the movie. Both very human and inhuman at the same time, the movie depicts a dance to a song of life that is both tragic and full of love, and while it is utterly bizarre and perverted we should all be able to relate to it, as the most basic human emotions bring the most extreme with them usually. The ending of the movie pushed the film into a high quality tier for me, but I do not want to spoil it. It is highly watchable and my rating predominantly relates to the other von Trier films and is highly relative.

• MJS M

  
  Having decided to look through the works of Lars von Trier I?ve seen most of his movies as having some good ideas behind them, but ultimately finding most of them to not really work as a whole. The same is true to some extent of this film, but it ultimately holds up a lot better than… More
  Having decided to look through the works of Lars von Trier I?ve seen most of his movies as having some good ideas behind them, but ultimately finding most of them to not really work as a whole. The same is true to some extent of this film, but it ultimately holds up a lot better than the other films I?ve seen. What is interesting about the movie is that the main character?s plight is ultimately not the responsibility of an oppressive and uncaring society, its ultimately the result of faith and love leading someone toward self destructive ends. Thus this is an attack on two things that society has lauded unquestioningly. That is interesting and provocative, and the film?s visual style is pretty effective. My problem with the film is that its main character is an emotional infant who at times seems to be borderline retarded. It doesn?t ring true to me and this is the same major problem I had with Dancer in the Dark. What sets Waves apart from Dancer is that Emily Watson handles the role a lot better than Björk did and the story also felt a lot less contrived. As such this is probably the most consistent Von Trier film I?ve seen, but it still isn?t really a work I can really call great.

• Daisy M

  
  As I watched this film, I wasn't quite sure what period this was set in, where it was, or what exactly was wrong with Bess. Was she nuts? Was she just a bit slow? Was she simply depressed by the religious passion of her town and family?I s this all for a man? Common.. I watched… More
  As I watched this film, I wasn't quite sure what period this was set in, where it was, or what exactly was wrong with Bess. Was she nuts? Was she just a bit slow? Was she simply depressed by the religious passion of her town and family?I s this all for a man? Common.. I watched the whole thing with a skeptical eye. Von Trier's style of filming ( hand-held cameras) makes it look like a film from the early 70's) and it irritated me on some level, but then I loved the "chapter breaks" with the striking view of landscape and accompanied by pop music (from the 70's). Great music of Elton John Led Zeppellin etc.. Nice movie, though, still I have my own opinion about this all,

• Sunil J

  
  Not a bad movie but just disturbing.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings