Breaking the Waves

Breaking the Waves

1996

In a small and religious coastal town, a simple, devoutly religious Scottish woman, Bess McNeill (Emily Watson), finds a partner in an oil rig worker from Norway, Jan Nyman (Stellan Skarsgard). However, the relationship grows strained when Nyman breaks his neck in a horrific work accident on the rig and becomes paralyzed. Unable to perform sexually and suffering mentally from the accident as well, Jan convinces Bess to have sex with other men, which she comes to believe is God's work.

Love is a mighty power.

JBscale
85
Excellent

Film Detail

Genre
Drama
Length
2 hrs. 39 mins.
US Theatrical Release
November 13, 1996
US Box Office
$3,803,298 (#5093 of 7074)
Global Office
No Data Available
Rating
NR
Not Rated

Collection Detail

Release Method
Criterion Collection #705 Digital Only
Aquired Format
iTunes
Aspect Ratio
WS 2.35:1
Audio
English: DD 5.1
Studio
Criterion
Released
April 15, 2014
Acquired Date
December 19, 2023
Times Seen
0 Times
Last Watched
Haven't seen it yet.

Actors

Emily Watson
Emily Watson
Stellan Skarsgård
Stellan Skarsgård
Katrin Cartlidge
Katrin Cartlidge
Jean-Marc Barr
Jean-Marc Barr
Adrian Rawlins
Adrian Rawlins
Jonathan Hackett
Jonathan Hackett
Sandra Voe
Sandra Voe
Udo Kier
Udo Kier
Mikkel Gaup
Mikkel Gaup
Roef Ragas
Roef Ragas

Directors

Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier

Producers

Peter Aalbæk Jensen
Peter Aalbæk Jensen
Vibeke Windeløv
Vibeke Windeløv

Writers

Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier

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User Reviews

Ratings

JB Users
--
 
RT Fresh
85%
Tomatometer
65 votes
RT Fresh Certified
91%
Popcornmeter
1,415 votes
METASCORE
82
29 votes
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
73,187 votes

Additional Info

  1. IMDb
  2. Kids-in-Mind
  3. Common Sense Media