Breaking the Waves

Breaking The Waves (1996)

Recommendations: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009), Requiem for a Dream, Dawn of the Dead

Movies 365: Day 15 – Breaking the Waves

Though I’ve only seen Dancer in the Dark and Antichrist, in my experiences with the films of Lars von Trier, I always end them feeling absolutely depressed. Breaking the Waves continues this trend, which I suppose I would be upset about if it weren’t for the fact that at least with Dancer in the Dark and Breaking the Waves the films a great. So it’s kind of a weird thing, I feel depressed as hell, but at the same time happy and excited for watching such a good movie, it makes watching his films something I look forward to with trepidation and excitement.

Breaking the Waves tells the story of Bess (Emily Watson) a Scottish woman who lives in a town ruled by the strict Calvinist church. At the beginning of the film, Bess is married to Jan (Stellan Skarsgård), a Danish man who works on a nearby oil rig, much to the displeasure or the church elders. Shortly after their marriage, Jan is injured and left paralyzed after an accident on the oil rig, unable to engage in a sexual relationship anymore, he asks Bess to begin having sex with other men and telling him the details of their encounters. Bess refuses at first, but eventually, she gives in and begins doing so. When Jan begins to show signs of recovery, Bess continues, as she believes she is doing God’s will, and he is healing Jan as a way of showing his approval.

Emily Watson is incredible in this film, she imbues Bess with a sense of innocence, which makes the film really work. After all, in some ways, to have this story work, Bess needs to be innocent, to be able to believe that what she is doing in having these encounters is truly God’s work. This is truly Watson’s film, and her performance is the film, with a weaker actress in the role, it wouldn’t be worth sitting through. The supporting cast does well also, with great performances by Stellan Skarsgård as the paralyzed Jan, and Katrin Cartlidge as Dodo McNeill, Bess’s friend and confidant.

Over the years, von Trier’s films have been accused of being misogynistic for many reasons, one thing that seems to be on the top of the list is that in many of his films, the female lead is usually put through some sort of horrific ordeal, many times in relation to them taking control of, or pleasure in their sexuality. While I suppose Breaking the Waves (and certainly Antichrist) could easily be read as such, I think it’s too easy and pat to categorize them as such. It’s much easier to label his film misogynistic if you’re already disliking it, than it is to confront what the film might actually be trying to say about women. Though I would never call von Trier a feminist, I don’t think he is a misogynist.

Coming out shortly after the publishing of the Dogme 95 manifesto, Breaking the Waves is not actually a Dogme 95 film, though it is clearly influenced by the movement. It is shot completely hand held, the look of the film is grainy and realistic, in accordance with Dogme rules. von Trier is able to capture the wonderful performances of his cast, and manages to make the lo-fi Dogme aesthetic really work for the film. Though difficult to watch at times, Breaking the Waves is a wonderfully told, beautifully acted story, you should definitely check it out, especially if it’s your first experience with a von Trier film.

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