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Breaking the Waves

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Breaking the Waves

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1996 film by Lars von Trier

Film · TMDB

7.5

In a small, conservative Scottish village, an oilman is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when he urges her to have sex with another.

Released: 1996-07-05159 minDir: Lars von TrierDrama, RomanceBudget: $7.5MBox office: $23.0M

Cast

  • Emily Watson as Bess McNeill
  • Stellan Skarsgård as Jan Nyman
  • Katrin Cartlidge as Dodo McNeill
  • Jean-Marc Barr as Terry
  • Adrian Rawlins as Dr. Richardson
  • Jonathan Hackett as Priest

Themes

  • underdog
  • dying and death
  • prostitute
  • paraplegic
  • parent child relationship
  • faith
  • scotland
  • society
  • tradition
  • prayer

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Ratings

IMDb

7.8/10

76,087 votes

Year
1996
Runtime
153 min
Genres
Drama

via IMDb

Key facts

Directed by
Lars von Trier
Written by
Lars von Trier, Peter Asmussen
Produced by
Peter Aalbæk Jensen , Vibeke Windeløv
Starring
Emily Watson , Stellan Skarsgård , Katrin Cartlidge , Jean-Marc Barr , Udo Kier
Cinematography
Robby Müller
Edited by
Anders Refn
Production company
Zentropa
Distributed by
Metronome Films ApS (Denmark) , Svenska Filminstitutet , Triangelfilm (Sweden) , Les Films du Losange (France) , Norsk Film Distribusjon (Norway) , Senso Films (Finland) , Lucky Red (Italy) , Pandora Film (Germany) , October Films (United States)
Release date
18 May 1996 ( 1996-05-18 ) ( Cannes )
Running time
158 minutes
Countries
Denmark, Sweden, France, Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Finland , Italy , Germany , United States
Language
English
Budget
$7.5 million
Box office
$23 million

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Duration
152
FilmAffinity ID
618791
Show 3 more facts
title
Breaking the Waves
publication date
1996-10-03
review score
82/100
Sources (15)

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Article

Breaking the Waves is a 1996 psychological romantic melodrama film directed and co-written by Lars von Trier and starring Emily Watson in her feature film acting debut, and with Stellan Skarsgård, a frequent collaborator with von Trier.

Set in the Scottish Highlands in the early 1970s, it is about an unusual young woman and the love she has for her husband. The film is divided into seven chapters and an epilogue, separated by audio-visual art by Per Kirkeby and accompanied by music.

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