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MOVIES / ON DVD / BREAKING THE WAVES
Breaking the Waves

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Breaking the Waves (1996)

85%
80%
89%
N/A
N/A
N/A
85 %
Reviews Counted: 39 Fresh: 33  Rotten:6 Average Rating: 8/10

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 2 hrs 36 mins

Synopsis: Danish director Lars von Trier's BREAKING THE WAVES is a sweeping romantic fable that is photographed like a low-budget documentary, resulting in a strikingly original motion picture from one of contemporary cinema's most distinct visionaries. Bess (Emily Watson) is a shy young woman... Danish director Lars von Trier's BREAKING THE WAVES is a sweeping romantic fable that is photographed like a low-budget documentary, resulting in a strikingly original motion picture from one of contemporary cinema's most distinct visionaries. Bess (Emily Watson) is a shy young woman living in a small Scottish shore town. When she meets Jan (Stellan Skarsgard), the two immediately fall in love. Jan is a rig worker who immediately embraces Bess's absolute innocence. Soon after, they are married. Their magical existence comes to a crashing halt when Jan is forced to return to sea for an extended period of time. In a series of intense dialogues with God, Bess begs for Jan's return back to shore immediately, and when Jan is paralyzed in a freak accident, her wish is granted. Convinced that her prayers caused Jan's tragedy, Bess devotes her life to redeeming herself however she can. Jan insists that she experience sexual relations with a series of strangers, relating to him her escapades. Obeying his wish, she begins to see that her actions are restoring Jan's health, sparking her into committing one reckless final sacrifice. Watson delivers one of the most stunningly naked screen debuts in screen history, filling BREAKING THE WAVES with an intensity that is tragic, yet somehow hopeful. [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgaard, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr, Udo Kier

Director: Lars von Trier

DVD Info

Release:

Jul 25, 2000

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1 Encoding
  • Keep Case

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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A-

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

Full Review | comment Comment
09/06/07
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ratings Image
4.5/5

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
09/05/06
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
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3.5/4

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

Full Review | comment Comment
09/15/05
Michael Dequina
Mr. Brown's Movies
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2/5

No review available.

comment Comment
08/04/05
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily
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4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
06/29/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
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4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
03/18/05
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly
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B

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

Full Review | comment Comment
12/06/04
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer
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5/5

Unforgettable

comment Comment
12/06/04
Jon Niccum
Lawrence Journal-World
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4/4

Will introduce the experimental director to a wider American audience.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/01/04
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
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2/5

No review available.

comment Comment
06/29/04
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)
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2/5

No review available.

comment Comment
02/26/04
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat
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5/5

Watson's mesmerising performance propels this sad but weirdly uplifting look at sex, spirituality and guilt.

comment Comment
10/27/03
Dan Lybarger
Nitrate Online
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4/5

Well done, but so incredibly depressing that it's not entertaining.

comment Comment
09/18/03
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
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4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
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4/5

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
07/30/03
TV Guide's Movie Guide
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Ratings Image
2.5/4

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Full Review | comment Comment
05/20/03
Susan Tavernetti
Palo Alto Weekly
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5/5

Brutal and passionate.

comment Comment
04/15/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
San Francisco Examiner
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3/5

No review available.

comment Comment
02/12/03
Bill Thompson
Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)
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4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
02/04/03
Shannon J. Harvey
Sunday Times (Australia)
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Related Forums

Great, underrated movie
by: xacto 12/27/04


madness and cinema
by: laxm 3/2/01

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