Breaking the Waves (1996)

Director:

Lars von Trier

Writers:

Lars von Trier (written by)
Peter Asmussen (co-written by)

Release Date:

13 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love is a mighty power.

Plot:

Oilman Jan is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when Jan urges her to have sex with another.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Accident | Sex | Scotland | Oil Rig

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 40 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Emily Watson	...	Bess McNeill
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Jan Nyman
Katrin Cartlidge	...	Dodo McNeill
Jean-Marc Barr	...	Terry
Adrian Rawlins	...	Dr. Richardson
Jonathan Hackett	...	Priest
Sandra Voe	...	Mother
Udo Kier	...	Sadistic Sailor
Mikkel Gaup	...	Pits
Roef Ragas	...	Pim
Phil McCall	...	Grandfather
Robert Robertson	...	Chairman
Desmond Reilly	...	An Elder
Sarah Gudgeon	...	Sybilla
Finlay Welsh	...	Coroner (as Finley Welsh)

Also Known As:

Amor omnie (Denmark) (working title)
Breaking the Waves (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic sexuality, nudity, language and some violence.

Runtime:

159 min | USA:153 min (director's cut)

Country:

Denmark | Sweden | France | Netherlands | Norway | Iceland

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:R | Canada:18A | Chile:18 | Denmark:12 | Finland:K-14 | France:-12 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:III | Hungary:16 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Argentina:16 | Israel:18

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Company:

Argus Film Produktie

Trivia:

The first film in Lars von Trier's "Golden Heart" trilogy in which the heroines remain naïve despite their actions. The two other parts are Idioterne (1998) and Dancer in the Dark (2000).

Quotes:

Bess McNeill: Everyone has one thing they're good at. I've always been stupid, but I'm good at this.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Lars from 1-10 (1998)

Soundtrack:

Life on Mars

Perfect

Life is complex in many ways yet so simple, emotions complicate especially if they are deep, you can go through life without pain but their will be a price to pay and that is no pleasure. Breaking the Waves is a roller-coaster ride and i feel for the characters in this movie i feel their pleasure and pain, bitter sweet. Emily Watson became one of my favorite actors after this movie, she is truly amazing in the role of Bess McNeill. Director Lars Von Trier gets everything right here and makes the movie all directors dream of and at the same time fear, how can you make better a movie. I went to the cinema ten years ago and knew nothing about this film and some guy was making a speech about this film before the movie started and only reason i was there was that i had nothing better to do. I had the perfect cinema experience of my life and only a handful of films have moved me like this one did. Lesson in life a lesson in human behavior and a lesson in hate. I cannot stress this enough all people should watch this film, gives you a bit of happiness and also a lot of pain just like when you love someone.