Film Review: Breaking the Waves

"How can you love a word? You cannot love words. You can't be in love with a word. You can only love another human being. That's perfection." - Emily Watson
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This is a film that will creep under your skin and stay with you long after the credits roll. It elicits a vast number of different emotions, thoughts, and questions. The top two questions at the core of this film are: How far are you willing to go in your relationship with a loved one? How far will you go with your relationship with God? These themes are encapsulated in this intriguing and thought-provoking tale of one woman's commitment to her paralyzed husband's odd demands, and what may be the command of God. And of all things, these two powers drive her to physically make love with other men. Pretty weird, isn't it?

This is a film that hinges entirely on its premise, but it is a real doozy of a situation. The film outright questions and challenges the notions of love and faith, ultimately suggesting that such things aren't necessarily defined by fundamentalist religion or social norms, but by pure human spirit. The nature of the story (and the director's work overall) flies in the face of all convention and perhaps even morality. In the end though, the film underscores the base characteristics of a true martyr: one who passes the tests of God and endures suffering for the sake of other people's happiness.

This film is close to three hours - pacing is methodically slow, to the point where some scenes drag. However, the editing is sharp and snappy, so each scene is packed with detail, movement, and character. Character is ultimately what makes this whole thing work - one can't help but to sympathize with Bess through all the best and worst of scenes, and it makes the whole ordeal rather heartbreaking and grim.

Complementing the disquieting nature of the story, the film is made to be rough around the edges. Crafted in the spirit of (but not necessarily adhering to) the rules of the Dogme '95 movement, the film looks very natural most of the time with handheld cameramanship, real-looking locations and settings, and a firm focus on the performances. Parts of the film appear out-of-focus and parts of it can be disorientating - combined with the bronze color scheme, it's far from pretty. Acting feels very authentic and heartfelt from the cast. Emily Watson is especially endearing in her role, and Stellan Skarsgård is decent. Writing is decent. Musical chapter transitions are an interesting style choice.

This film will make some waves, which do successfully make you stop and question the true nature of one's faith. The film boldly expresses that the best solution is to break the rules - break the waves and make a big splash - all for what you love and believe in. So long as you can stand the rough style and some rough content, the film is worth seeing.

4/5