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Breaking the Waves
Directed by
Lars von Trier
R
1996
2h 38m
Drama
,
Romance
7.8
85%
91%
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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.
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Where to Watch Breaking the Waves
MUBI
Subscription
MUBI Amazon Channel
Subscription
Fandango At Home
Rent $2.99
Buy $14.99
+2 more
Cast of Breaking the Waves
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
Robert Robertson
Chairman
Phil McCall
Grandfather
Desmond Reilly
An Elder
Sarah Gudgeon
Sybilla
Finlay Welsh
Coroner
David Gallacher
Glasgow Doctor
Ray Jeffries
Man on Bus
Owen Kavanagh
Man at Lighthouse
Bob Docherty
Man on Boat
David Bateson
Young Sailor
Callum Cuthbertson
Radio Operator
Gavin Mitchell
Police Officer 1
Brian Smith
Police Officer 2
Iain Agnew
Praying Man 1
Charles Kearney
Praying Man 2
Steven Leach
Praying Man 3
Dorte Rømer
Nurse
Anthony J. O'Donnell
Boy 1
John Wark
Boy 2
Ronnie McKellaig
Precentor
Peter Bensted
Ugly Man (voice)
Simon Towler Jorfald
Boy in Film (voice)
Klaus Messerschmidt Juhler
Paramedic (uncredited)
Lars von Trier
Director / Writer
Peter Aalbæk Jensen
Producer
Vibeke Windeløv
Producer
Breaking the Waves Ratings & Reviews
cultfilmliker
July 16, 2025
Well fuck. I guess I believe in love again. Audibly gasped and had to pick my jaw up off the floor bc of the ending. Incredible. The most blindsidingly badass soundtrack of all time lmao what a surprise. My mother thinks sex is the most sacred thing on earth. She shall never see this film Almost finished my MUBI subscription without watching this. Near miss!
Newsweek
David Ansen
There are few movies around that take such huge risks: this is high-wire filmmaking, without a net of irony.
Common Sense Media
Barbara Shulgasser
Gloomy '90s drama has cursing, nudity, mature themes.
Movie Metropolis
Christopher Long
Both a ferocious love story and a tale of the triumph of vital individual faith over ossified and corrupt organized religion.
Creative Loafing
Matt Brunson
Issues of faith, devotion, sexuality and divine intervention are at the center of this daring and provocative piece that placed writer-director Lars von Trier on the international map.
The Dissolve
Scott Tobias
It's a testament to Emily Watson's astounding performance as Bess that she comes across as more than a von Trier construct; she's a woman of boundless passion, who follows her faith wherever it takes her.
Entertainment Weekly
Owen Gleiberman
Von Trier has forged a myth of modern romantic faith that could haunt almost anyone into believing.
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Rob Nelson
Von Trier may put his characters and the viewer through the ringer, yet his empathy toward both is unmistakable.
ColeSmithey.com
Cole Smithey
Here is a film that makes you feel like you've read the novel, seen the movie, and lived the life of a protagonist more empathetic than any other. You just might need a stiff drink afterward.
Variety
David Stratton
The performance from newcomer Emily Watson is the centerpiece of this spiritual journey.
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
Dennis Schwartz
A powerful tear-jerker romantic drama that intriguingly also brings religion into the mix.
TheMovieReport.com
Michael Dequina
The synopsis doesn't begin to do justice to the psychological and emotional complexities of the tale.
Washington Post
Desson Thomson
This almost three-hour saga, set in a Scottish coastal town in the 1970s, makes an exuberant, but ultimately empty pass at all the available art-film conceits, including mysticism, religion and downright bawdiness.
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
Watson's luminous portrayal goes straight to the heart.
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan
For although its glum and grueling affect will be a comfort to those who want to believe that misery is the handmaiden of art, "Breaking the Waves" stands revealed at its conclusion as trite and even juvenile...
San Francisco Chronicle
Peter Stack
Watson's Bess is an unforgettable character -- simple, profound, heartbreaking, tragic and yet triumphant.
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
Breaking the Waves is emotionally and spiritually challenging, hammering at conventional morality with the belief that God not only sees all, but understands a great deal more than we give Him credit for.
New York Times
Janet Maslin
Von Trier counters that rigidity with near-lunatic flourishes that prove hugely effective, if only because they burst redemptively into the film with sudden flashes of pop vitality.
Austin Chronicle
Russell Smith
Watson is the engine that pulls the entire film with her risky, emotionally naked acting.
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