Breaking the Waves (1996)
A film review by Martin Rich
Copyright 1996 Martin Rich
In the 1970s, a closed, puritan, religious community in a remote part of Scotland is transformed by the arrival of oil-workers from around the world. A young local woman falls in love with, and marries, a Norwegian oil worker against the advice of the elders of the community.
Lars von Trier's film, Breaking the Waves, is the story of what happened to this marriage - the husband is injured and, at his behest, his wife searches for other men to have sex with. Superficially this is a slight story, but it has been made into an epic and powerful film. Many of the images are uncomfortable, especially of the stifling effect of the closed community, and the ability of the village's elders to hurt a family by ostracising its members. If you are prepared for these images, it is an excellent film which certainly deserves the awards that it has received.
The styles of the 1970s were characterised by browns and oranges, and the cinematography in 'Breaking the Waves' gives the scenery an orange tint that somehow seems appropriate to the era. Bess, the central character played by Emily Watson, and Jan the husband played by Stellan Skarsgaard, appear in the fashions of the 1970s and are in stark contrast to other villagers whose appearance and lifestyle seem to have changed little with the centuries.
Between the chapters there are short, beautiful, still shots of the Scottish scenery, accompanied by music from the 1970s. Between these interludes there is little music - conveying the atmosphere of a place where even the church bells have been removed because they are deemed unnecessary.
The film is about the effect of an oppressive society, and about the difficulties of a troubled person in finding a way to live their life. These difficulties are most graphically expressed in Bess's curious dialogues with God, where she speaks both parts and is tortured by whether her every move is going to earn God's favour. It isn't anti-religious, but condemns such a dour expression of religion that can sentence a woman to silence because she dares to speak in church, and allows its elders to consign a dead person to hell at their funeral.
Emily Watson's performance is remarkable for her range of emotion, and her ability to convey the turmoil beneath a troubled exterior. Also very fine is the performance by Adrian Rawlins as the English doctor, unfamiliar with the ways of the community, whose reaction to Bess moves from professional concern, to support, to pure frustration.
It's rarely comfortable viewing, but an exceptional film nonetheless
Martin Rich
-- Martin Rich (0171) 477 8627 Lecturer in Information Management Fax(0171) 477 8628 City University Business School, M.G.Rich@city.ac.uk Frobisher Crescent, http://www.city.ac.uk/martin Barbican Centre, London EC2Y 8HB, UK
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