Breaking the Waves
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.
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 2h 33m
- Released
- 1996
- Country
- Denmark, Sweden, France, Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, United Kingdom, Finland, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, United States
Details
Release year: 1996
Storyline
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.
Top credits
Emily Watson — Bess McNeill
Stellan Skarsgård — Jan Nyman
Katrin Cartlidge — Dodo McNeill
Jean-Marc Barr — Terry
Awards
0 wins & 1 nomination
See all awards →Did you know
• Theatrical film debut of Emily Watson. She received an Oscar nomination and was expelled from the School of Economic Science (the alleged cult she was brought up in) for her role in this film.
• 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 The Idiots (1998) and Dancer in the Dark (2000).
• Helena Bonham Carter was originally cast in the role of Bess. One of the reasons she turned it down was because of the sex content, arguing she didn't feel comfortable enough with her body at that age.
Box Office
Gross (Domestic): $3,803,298
User reviews
This film is not for the faint of heart or soul.
Bleak, Thoughtful, Disturbing, Touching and A Long Way Off From Being Light Viewing.
Left reeling, fascinated yet puzzled
Technical specs
- Sound mix
- Dolby Digital
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
- Color
- Color
