Emily Watson is astounding in her Oscar-nominated performance as Bess, a virginal young woman who marries outside her close-knit Calvinist community. A devout woman who carries on two-way conversations with God, Bess fervently prays for her husband, an oil rig worker, to be sent home. Her prayers are cruelly answered. He is paralyzed in an accident, and he compels her to take lovers and describe her experiences to him. The soulful-eyed Watson buoys this shattering and devastating film, and saves it from sinking into lurid melodrama. Waves is being released in simultaneous full frame and widescreen versions. Robby Muller's hand-held cinematography is best served in the widescreen format. Highly recommended. (K. Lee Benson)
Breaking the Waves
(Hallmark, 159 min., R, avail. June 3) Vol. 12, Issue 3
Breaking the Waves
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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