Film: Breaking the Waves
Year: 1996
Writer/Director: Lars von Trier
Starring: Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr, Adrian Rawlins, Sandra Voe, Udo Kier.
Running time: 159 min.
Before watching Melancholia at the NZFF, I decided that I should probably get myself familiar with the work of Lars von Trier. First stop: Breaking the Waves. Where Melancholia is a more, how do I put this, Hollywood kind of von Trier, the now 15 year old Breaking the Waves exhibits von Trier's talent under the influence of the 'Dogme 95' movement. The grainy, hand-held photography gives this film a very dated, yet natural look that isn't really used that much anymore - but it is very easy to admire. There was a certain air to this movie which struck me as kinda cheap; especially with its title cards which had scenic yet sullen paintings on them, and the music that played between chapters that was the kind my mother listened to when I was a kid (I used to hate it). But it's these naturalistic touches I like to see in movies, and the fact that von Trier accompanied them with a love story made me like it even more.
