Breaking the Waves (1996) reviewed by Nick Goodwin

Danish film maker Lars Von Trier is a director governed by a very distinct set of ideals. Not only does he bring a very specific north European style and structure to the films he makes, but he also comes loaded with his very own set of film ideologies and philosophies.

Grounding himself within a group of like minded directors, Lars Von Trier is a pioneer of an ideal known as Dogme.

Casting itself in the same vein as the Italian Realists of the 1930's and the French New Wave of the 1950's Dogme directors of the late 1990's sought to reinvent the approach and methodology of modern day film making. Tired of the Hollywood standard these directors aimed to break the mould established by an American system and instead direct almost improvised pieces, with unplanned cinematography and no limitations to theme and content. From this period of filmmaking we were privy to many iconic movies including Lars Von Triers 'The Idiots' and Thomas Vinterbergs 'Festen'.

However, it was a film made prior to the finalisation of these dogme philosophies that stood out as the precursor to this new way of thinking in film making and that sparked an interest in the new faction of Scandinavian film makers.

Breaking the Waves, released in 1996, is the ultimate in movie misnomers. Laid somewhere between a touching, heartfelt love story between two contrasting characters and a tragic tale of gritty sexual desire brought about by catastrophic events, this film sets its roots on several emotional levels and in doing so should appeal to most on many.

Set deep within the confines of an overtly religious and increasingly disapproving community in the north west of Scotland , Breaking the Waves focuses primarily on the blossoming relationship between Bess, a virginal islander with a distinct if unapparent mental instability and Jan, a burly Scandinavian oil rig worker and outsider to the close knit community.

Opening on the day of their wedding the initial premise of the film is that of heartfelt romanticism and the sexual awakening brought about by an ever increasing love between a couple. However, as touching as this air of romance is, it is brought to a crashing halt by a sudden, catastrophic incident leaving Jan, helpless and paralysed. Not wanting to become a burden to his newly beloved and ever aware of her new found interest in the opposite sex Jan instructs his wife to perform various degrading acts with strangers in order to help him feel he is fulfilling his husbandly duties and to aid his recovery. It is only when Bess's already troubled mental state cannot comprehend her own actions and the conflict of obeying her husband and betraying her wedding vows of commitment and monogamy reach critical mass that trauma and eventual desperate tragedy climax this film in stunning and emotional scenes.

Stylistically, Breaking the Waves is a beautiful piece of cinematography. Chapterised by some outstanding set ups, the visuals within the film merely accentuate the feelings, emotions and thoughts that run deep within the characters. The titled scenes come across like beautiful watercolours and give broken logic to a complex and varying tale, whilst the hand held "wedding video" feel to the first quarter not only highlights the events ensuing but also give way to the first signs of Dogme film directing with an extremely naturalized and realistic feel to the action and its surrounding events.

Interspersed with this extremely evident visualistic approach is a very definite backdrop of sound that gives the film an added dimension and an almost ethereal quality. Juxtaposed within this ever changing, tragic love story a wall of 1970's rock anthems create a feel of frozen time and of a dated society.

Breaking the Waves is a complicated tale and it is only through the versatility and emotional development of the leading actors as they play out their roles that the story is given a believable and emotional depth. Both Emily Watson and Stellan Skarsgard are enthralling in their growth as events ensue and you are drawn in as a viewer to this unfortunate chain of events. They grow emotionally in front of your eyes and you feel an almost sorrow as events take their tragic conclusion. This thoroughly incomprehensible chain of events is given a feel as if it has happened to your next door neighbour or to someone you know and without a doubt you are brought in to feel a part of the community, judgmental, saddened and eager for the next piece of gossip as it circulates about the unfortunate pair.

Regardless of the seemingly shocking content of this film, its roots are laid out very specifically with Lars Von Triers ideologies. This film is not out to stun its audience with scenes of a graphic nature and this film is not out to wow audiences with a varying array of film techniques and off the cuff film making aimed at drawing a younger audience. All the style and thought that go into Breaking the Waves merely culminate in Lars Von Triers ultimate goal, to take as realistic an approach as possible to a believable story without the confines of a standardized system. Breaking the Waves is a no holds barred look at how happiness and tragedy go hand in hand and that love is the overall key to succumbing any ordeal that you may face.

Beautifully prosaic and emotionally challenging Breaking the Waves gives its audience a true and touching tale of love, loss and the bond that humanity can bring.