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Breaking the Waves (1996)

tomatometer

88

Average Rating: 8/10
Critic Reviews: 8
Fresh: 7 | Rotten: 1

No consensus yet.

audience

90

liked it
Average Rating: 4.1/5
User Ratings: 29,871

My Rating

Movie Info

With Breaking The Waves, director Lars von Trier fashions an often disturbing tale of the singular power of love. Bess (the Oscar-nominated Emily Watson) is a naïve, borderline simple young woman who lives in a Scottish coastal town ruled by the religious doctrine of its council of elders. Recovering from a mental breakdown caused by the death of her brother, Bess marries a rough yet compassionate and attentive oil rig worker named Jan (Stellan Skarsgård). For a brief time, the couple enjoys

R,

Drama, Romance, Art House & International

Jul 26, 2005

Artisan Entertainment

Cast

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All Critics (66) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (6) | DVD (4)

Von Trier may put his characters and the viewer through the ringer, yet his empathy toward both is unmistakable.

September 1, 2009 Full Review Source: City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

Here is a film that makes you feel like you've read the novel, seen the movie, and lived the life of a protagonist more empathetic than any other. You just might need a stiff drink afterward.

August 30, 2009 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com
ColeSmithey.com

A powerful tear-jerker romantic drama that intriguingly also brings religion into the mix.

September 6, 2007 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The synopsis doesn't begin to do justice to the psychological and emotional complexities of the tale.

September 15, 2005 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com
TheMovieReport.com

The actors are superb. [But] it is the easiest thing in the world to do ... move people by destroying something beautiful.

December 6, 2004
Looking Closer

Unforgettable

December 6, 2004
Lawrence Journal-World

Will introduce the experimental director to a wider American audience.

July 1, 2004 Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

Audience Reviews for Breaking the Waves

An honest, super depressing look at a mentally unstable woman (Emily Watson) and her marriage to an oil rig worker (Stellan Skarsgard), and how they deal with their relationship after he is left paralyzed due to a work accident, and his only demand of her is that she find another lover that will somehow aid his healing. While it is a soul-crushing throughout its duration, and it occasionally threatens to overstep its bounds and become offensive, one can not help but be in awe of the brutal honesty and graphic depiction of a marriage on the rocks Lars von Trier brings to the screen. Not only is it a romantic-drama, it also has a philosophical spin on the nature of religion and how the negative, secluded sections of the religious folk can be some of the worst human beings possible. It is anti-religious, but it is never an illustration of the norm of religious people. It is moreso a frank, disturbing look of a woman who needs help but the very people she turns to forsake her for their own selfish desires. Emily Watson's unforgettable, powerful performance drives this moving all the way to it's discouraging conclusion. It may not be easy to get through given its length and subject, but the way von Trier shoots this thing (with a handheld camera to capture a grainy feel), as well as his handle on the material is something to be in awe of.
October 25, 2009
Dan Schultz

Super Reviewer

A disturbing yet beautiful film. Von Trier's masterpiece and the best use of a Rod Stewart song in a movie.
March 1, 2012
Graham Jones

Super Reviewer

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Foreign Titles

  • Rompiendo las olas (ES)
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