Damn. This took the stigma “people do the stupidest things for love” to a whole other level.
If you’ve ever felt bad for a fictional character before, wait until you meet Bess McNeill—a mentally ill young woman who’s recently gotten married and, shortly after, confronted with an upsetting situation. Not only is she coping with the own mechanisms of her self-health, but she’s also battling a question of morality between the toxic regulations of her religion and the wills of her delusional husband. Great movies have great characters that you can truly sympathize for, and all you want to do for Bess throughout the entirety of Breaking the Waves is give her a big, warm hug. Lars von Trier has done it again.
Verdict: A-
Darren Aronofsky vs. Lars von Trier
“Breaking the Waves” is now available to stream on Vudu, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play iTunes, and The Criterion Channel.
Burning the Celluloid 
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