Breaking the Waves

Structured in eight chapters – each distinguished by its striking visual style and painterly beauty – Breaking the Waves unfolds in the harsh setting of a remote fishing community in northern Scotland in the 1970s. Bess McNeill (Emily Watson) marries Jan (Stellan Skarsgård), an “outsider” who works on an offshore oil rig. Soon after their wedding, Jan is left paralysed following an accident. He releases Bess from her vow of fidelity. Deeply religious, Bess comes to see sexual encounters with strangers as a sacrifice offered for her husband’s recovery. Her devotion ultimately leads to tragedy. Yet just when it seems her sacrifice has been in vain, the miracle Bess prayed for finally occurs.

Gutek Film

Lars von Trier (b. 1956) – Danish director and screenwriter. Together with Thomas Vinterberg, he created the Dogma 95 manifesto, which called for a return to realism in cinema. He is the co-owner and co-founder of Zentropa, one of the most important production companies in Scandinavia. He won the Palme d’Or for Dancer in the Dark and the European Film Award for Dogville and Melancholia, in addition to more than a hundred other awards. In 2011, he was expelled from the Cannes Film Festival for controversial statements and was able to return only seven years later.

18th New Horizons IFF Catalogue