Breaking the Waves

Breaking the Waves

Lars von Trier is kind of like the polar opposite of Woody Allen. While both work outside of Hollywood, telling stories about the lives of every day people, Allen's films tend to depict the world as a place where people live lives of quiet desperation, and though unfortunate things happen overall, life is joyful in spite of them, largely due to social interaction. Von Trier films, on the other hand, feature people who live lives of quiet desperation, and unfortunate events are things that people suffer through, and despite their perseverance, the world remains a cruel and inhospitable place mostly because of other people. Allen's films leave the viewer to extrapolate the theme, while Von Trier's are unambiguous, even heavy-handed at times.

Any von Trier film is guaranteed to be a long and dreary affair, and Breaking the Waves is one of his longest (exceeded only by the two volume, 5+ hour Nymphomaniac), and dreariest (exceeded only by Dancer in the Dark) films. But that's part of the reason to watch his films, they give a wholly different experience from mainstream Hollywood drama. And Breaking the Waves is the film that catapulted him to International recognition.

Set in a remote Scottish seaside village (presumably in the 1970s based on the glam rock soundtrack), Breaking the Waves tells the story of Bess, a young woman raised in the strict Christian traditions of the insular community. The only light in her life is her husband Jan, an oil rig worker. When Jan is paralyzed in an accident, Bess seeks guidance from God (whom she talks to and who seems to talk through her), and Jan, who encourages her to take lovers against her strong objections.

The film ultimately is a condemnation of Christian fundamentalism with the church community being the judgmental and un-Christian at every step of the way, and Bess, almost a living embodiment of Christ, honoring God and her husband though she is (literally) stoned for it. It's more than just a metaphor as the ending reveals. For those that dare to seek out the less pretty side of life, Breaking the Waves is here to show it.