Breaking the Waves

Of all the films I’ve ever sat through, 'Breaking the Waves' stands out as my absolute favorite. I truly believe Lars delivered a masterclass here—maybe even something beyond perfection... though I suppose I still need to sit with that thought for a while longer.

I haven't actually sat down to watch it yet, but it looks decent enough for a standard romantic drama.🙂

IMDb

Trailer

briskbison41 said:I haven't actually sat down to watch it yet, but it looks decent enough for a standard romantic drama.🙂

IMDb

Trailer

Ugh, I wouldn't call that movie a "romantic drama" under any circumstances. Sure, it's a drama, but that word "romantic" just feels wrong to me. Honestly, watching it was pretty brutal. The whole atmosphere is just suffocating, and the story is so heavy... all you're left with after the credits roll is this intense sense of anxiety and pure discomfort.

I don't know, no matter how painful it gets, those bells at the end leave you with this strange but beautiful sense of triumph. So, I wouldn't say nausea is all that's left. While dancer in the dark is mostly built on the idea that life makes you want to vomit after 🙏

actually, even that part he goes through. In truth, the film is quite religious. And in some ways, maybe even optimistic.

It’s rare for someone to actually call out a masterpiece, but Breaking the Waves truly is one. In my book, it stands as one of the finest films of the last twenty years or so. Emily Watson is nothing short of masterful 👍

SPOILER

frozentinker432 said:I don't know, no matter how painful it gets, those bells at the end leave you with this strange but beautiful sense of triumph. So, I wouldn't say nausea is all that's left. While dancer in the dark is mostly built on the idea that life makes you want to vomit after 🙏

actually, even that part he goes through. In truth, the film is quite religious. And in some ways, maybe even optimistic.

😂 (watch out! there's white text or a spoiler warning at the start!)

Mucan's work here is clumsy yet absolutely brilliant. It’s been a while since I last sat down with it. That was actually my first introduction to the Dogma style—all handheld camera work and zero musical score. It didn't miss a beat when it came to delivering those raw, unfiltered emotions.

It’s been ages since I thought about this movie! It’s easily in my top 10!👍
I remember seeing it in theaters for the first time—the beginning was such a slog that I almost walked out, but man, by the end, I was just floored... in the best way possible. Lars really delivered a masterpiece here. And Emily Watson? That was the performance of a lifetime for her..

The soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal!🙏

Ugh, one of those movies you’d almost rather just forget because of the subject matter... but honestly, given everything else—especially the acting—that’s just impossible. It’s an exceptional film...

Great movie—the whole cast was spot on.

Michael Ortiz68 said:Mucan's work here is clumsy yet absolutely brilliant. It’s been a while since I last sat down with it. That was actually my first introduction to the Dogma style—all handheld camera work and zero musical score. It didn't miss a beat when it came to delivering those raw, unfiltered emotions.

It’s the only Dogma film by von Trier.

northernangler17 said:Ugh, I wouldn't call that movie a "romantic drama" under any circumstances. Sure, it's a drama, but that word "romantic" just feels wrong to me. Honestly, watching it was pretty brutal. The whole atmosphere is just suffocating, and the story is so heavy... all you're left with after the credits roll is this intense sense of anxiety and pure discomfort.

Well, that depends on who you ask.🙂 I don't really watch much drama, to be honest, so I find it a little tough to give an actual critique.
It doesn't look half bad to me, though if you check the IMDb page, they’ve got it categorized as a romantic drama. I guess whether it actually feels romantic or not really comes down to your own perspective—it’s one of those things where everyone sees it differently depending on how they watch it.🙂

goldenhound32 said:It’s the only Dogma film by von Trier.

Well, damn. I didn't realize that. I just assumed it might be, given the way it was shot.
Thanks👍

briskbison41 said:Well, that depends on who you ask.🙂 I don't really watch much drama, to be honest, so I find it a little tough to give an actual critique.
It doesn't look half bad to me, though if you check the IMDb page, they’ve got it categorized as a romantic drama. I guess whether it actually feels romantic or not really comes down to your own perspective—it’s one of those things where everyone sees it differently depending on how they watch it.🙂

When you’re dealing with a film that blends multiple genres, it’s common for one to dominate while the others just feel like afterthoughts. That’s exactly what happens with Breaking the Waves; the dramatic weight completely overwhelms any sense of romance. In fact, those specific moments that lead people to tag this as a "romance" on IMDb aren't even the kind of romance we’ve been conditioned to expect from cinema. If you want the full picture, you really have to sit down and watch the film itself. 🙂

Michael Ortiz68 said:Well, damn. I didn't realize that. I just assumed it might be, given the way it was shot.
Thanks👍

It is my small pleasure to provide information to someone who will actually appreciate the insight. There is a certain quiet satisfaction in being part of a forum where one can learn from others, or perhaps even teach a thing or two along the way. 👍

goldenhound32 said:When you’re dealing with a film that blends multiple genres, it’s common for one to dominate while the others just feel like afterthoughts. That’s exactly what happens with Breaking the Waves; the dramatic weight completely overwhelms any sense of romance. In fact, those specific moments that lead people to tag this as a "romance" on IMDb aren't even the kind of romance we’ve been conditioned to expect from cinema. If you want the full picture, you really have to sit down and watch the film itself. 🙂

It is my small pleasure to provide information to someone who will actually appreciate the insight. There is a certain quiet satisfaction in being part of a forum where one can learn from others, or perhaps even teach a thing or two along the way. 👍

I don't buy that argument at all.
It's like when a movie is marketed as a horror, but by the time the credits roll, there wasn't a single scary moment in the whole thing. It feels like every other week there's some flick that completely misrepresents its own genre.

This is easily one of my all-time favorite films...🙂

And honestly, it stands as one of the most profound love stories ever put to screen!

What an absolute masterpiece!

Emily Watson is absolutely unforgettable! One of the most powerful scenes in my book is when the village elders ask Bess what the outsiders will offer the town, and she simply replies: "Their music."

It wasn't quite as good as I was hoping it would be... I guess my favorite von Trier film out of the three I've managed to see was "Dogville," though even then, I wouldn't say I was totally blown away.

The movie operates on this incredibly shallow level of Christian morality, which ultimately dictates how women are permitted to exist within its world. To make matters even worse, it actually expects the audience to swallow this entire setup as some sort of rationalized necessity. It’s basically saying: let the women suffer, because their reward will be waiting for them in heaven.

Now, one could argue that the film is simply presenting this as a critique of the primitive environment they live in—that Bessina's fate serves as a commentary on the crushing nature of such an isolated way of life. That’s a possibility, I suppose, but the film doesn't just paint the townspeople as being needlessly cruel to women; it also presents her husband as someone with deeply pathological demands. Therefore, you can't really frame this as a simple critique of a closed community.

And as for that ending? 🤮
It feels like a calculated attempt to appease the small-minded, religious middle class. Since the film fails to justify all the absolute nonsense occurring throughout the plot, it resorts to a convenient deus ex machina. I find myself wondering why so many critics actually praised this piece. It’s likely because they belong to that exact same social stratum and are desperate to appear "spiritual." In reality, the conclusion completely guts any artistic potential the film might have had—even if E. Watson delivers an absolutely stellar performance—and reduces the whole thing to nothing more than some Christianized, preachy trash.

If you ask me, this movie is basically a tribute to Šupendar's style (PDF US)... and let's be honest, we all know there are plenty of them out there...😁