Breaking the Waves
Breaking The Waves is a 1996 film, written & directed by Danish filmmaker Lars Von Trier. The film stars Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgard, Katrin Cartlidge, and Jean-Marc Barr. The film is about a Scottish woman named Bess, who lives in a small religious town in Scotland. She marries an outsider, an oil rig worker named Jan (pronounced Yan) where they fall madly in love. After an accident on the rig, that leaves Jan paralyzed, Bess decides that she will do whatever Jan wants her to do, and rely on god for his well being. This one was tough...But I mean that in the best way possible. It's probably one of the toughest films I've ever seen, at least recently. The film is so emotional, so heartbreaking, and so deep, that after you watch it, you will feel like all the wind has been knocked out of your body. I'm not exaggerating when I say this. Here's my spoiler free, in depth review, of Von Trier's Breaking The Waves.
The Direction: Normally I'm not a fan of Von Trier's work (at least his later works, the only one's besides Breaking The Waves I've seen), but I have to say, his work here completely blows me away. His artistic decisions he makes in bringing his story to life are remarkable. He films it handheld, but not to the point where it's so shaky and distracting. It feels raw and in the moment. He's able to make every moment of the film feel raw, and in the moment visually. A+ direction
The Writing: Von Trier's writing here doesn't hold back. He's not afraid to make you feel hurt, disturbed, anxious, and emotionally violated. The story is probably one of the most tragic I've ever seen, and one of the most real. He creates complex characters, who all have their own flaws, he doesn't portray a single person in this film, as "perfect". Which to me, makes it all the more human, and realistic. This can also go into the direction, but he chooses to split up the sections of the film, into chapters. Each transition between them, being done perfectly. He chooses a shot of the great Scottish landscape, and sets it to the perfect 1970s soundtrack. He delves into some pretty deep topics here. It discusses life, love, and especially religion. With religion, he discusses what we do for our religion, what's right and wrong, what we would do for our loved ones over religion, and if god really is listening or not. An amazing and heartbreaking script from Von Trier. A+ for writing
The Performances: Phenomenal performances from the whole cast here. The true MVP, would have to be Emily Watson as the central character, Bess. She gives a performance so fantastic, so emotionally jarring, and so raw, that it would have to go down as one of my favorite female performances put to film. It's up there with Gena Rowlands in John Cassavetes' " A Woman Under The Influence" (1974) for me. I loved Frances McDormand in "Fargo" (1996) but I feel Emily Watson should have maybe won the best actress Oscar that year, I'm not sure, it's torn between those two perfect performances. Stellan Skarsgrd also gives a fantastic performance as Jan. His chemistry with Watson is great, and he truly shows the emotional conflict going on with Jan. Katrin Cartlidge is also fantastic as Bess' best friend, who only wants the best for her, and puts Bess' well being, before her own at times. An A+ for the very fine performances.
Other Tech: The cinematographer on this film is the great Robby Muller, one of my all time favorite cinematographers. He truly helps Von Trier show his raw imagery through the handheld camera work visuals. Some of the shots of the Scotland landscape are absolutely breathtaking. The soundtrack to the film is very well. The film being set in the 1970s really takes advantage of using the time's contemporary rock. The film's editing is also a sight, with it's sometimes sudden cuts. An A+ for the tech.
Final Thoughts: It's obvious that Lars Von Trier's Breaking The Waves receives a perfect 100/100 from me. The film is tied with "Fargo" as my favorite film of 1996, maybe be even surpassing it slightly. It's now in my top 10 films of the 1990s, and in my top 30 films of all time. It's raw, emotional, unsettling, and truly heartbreaking. What are your thoughts on this film, and Von Trier's work? Please leave them in the comment section.