Breaking the Waves
October Films | Release Date: November 13, 1996 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
82
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
24
Mixed:
4
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The GuardianPeter Bradshaw
It is shot with fluency and energy; the dreamy chapter-heading inserts are striking, the final image is powerful, and of course Watson herself is a triumph. Read full review
90
The DissolveScott Tobias
The simplified, handheld camerawork and the idea of “cutting for emotion” rather than continuity gets the most out of his actors, who are free to clash and improvise within a scene without worrying about hitting their marks. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
You won't come out of it indifferent, and even if it winds up enraging you (I could have done without most of the ending myself), it nonetheless commands attention. Read full review
100
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
True art is a journey to somewhere you've never been, and there has never been a movie quite like Breaking the Waves. Read full review
90
Rolling StonePeter Travers
"Waves" is a spellbinder. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleRussell Smith
With this artlessly profound and affecting story of love, von Trier emerges as one of those blessed filmmakers who've managed to blend their early stylistic flamboyance with enough human empathy to make their work both visually and emotionally compelling. Read full review
100
NewsweekDavid Ansen
There are few movies around that take such huge risks: this is high-wire filmmaking, without a net of irony. Read full review
80
TimeRichard Corliss
In its pagan fervor, this is an almost religious experience. Read full review
90
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
A narrative path leading from the sincere to the ludicrous, and culminating in a final image of flabbergasting transcendance, gives Breaking the Waves its surprising power. Read full review
100
Film.comKeith Simanton
It was a bleak allegory -- a desperate, sullen, and moderately sick tale.
100
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Stack
One of the most haunting and vital movies of the year. Read full review
90
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
What Von Trier arrives at is a complex, contemporary, and deeply moving exploration of faith. Read full review
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Not many movies like this get made, because not many filmmakers are so bold, angry and defiant. Read full review
100
SlateSarah Kerr
Right from the opening shot of Breaking the Waves...von Trier seems to be looking for the first time at life, not just the movies. Read full review
90
New York Daily NewsDave Kehr
One of the most emotionally devastating movies of the decade. Read full review
100
New Times (L.A.)Andy Klein
This is a dark, often funny walk through Ingmar Bergman turf. Read full review
80
Film.comJohn Hartl
This long, sometimes hard-to-watch movie is a challenge, but it has authority and raw power.
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
If not for a somewhat forced catharsis during the epilogue (the weakest segment of the movie), Breaking the Waves would have been more wrenching than it is. Read full review
100
Mr. ShowbizF. X. Feeney
Not only one of the best films of the year, it's one of the best films of the decade.
70
Film.comTom Keogh
Whether or not Breaking the Waves succeeds as a profound work is something that's hard to say after one viewing, but it is certainly a wholly original piece of work.
90
VarietyDavid Stratton
Watson is a major find as Bess. Graced with delicate, expressive features, she gives an extraordinary performance. Read full review
100
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A movie about the passions of simple people, and it's done with such extraordinary empathy and commitment that it all but pulls you under. [29 November 1996, Friday, p.A]
80
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
A trying, contrary mix of religion and carnality that teeters on the verge of preposterous self-indulgence. Read full review
100
Total FilmAli Catterall
Philosophically complex, spiritual but anti-religious, harrowing yet hopeful. Read full review
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