Rating: 
Summary: Heartbreaking, and a classic
Review: 'Breaking the Waves' is heartbreaking - a really sad film. Set in a distant, isolated village in the Scottish highlands, it's the story of an innocent, devoutly religious young woman (the brilliant Emily Watson) who falls in love with, and soon marries, a more wordly Danish oilrig worker. Despite a lack of money and Bess's husband's need to stay away from her for extended periods because of his job, their relationship seems to start off well. However, it is changed forever when the husband (called Jan) suffers a near-fatal accident while working away at sea, and comes back unable to participate in a physical relationship with his young wife.This is where the real tragedy of this long, lyrical film begins to unfold: Jan persuades Bess to seduce strangers for sex, then tell him stories of the encounter soon afterwards. She unhappily obliges, and we witness many sad scenes of Bess attempting to play the seductress. Her situation gets worse and worse - eventually she takes on the dangerous job of selling herself to potentially violent foreign sailors illegally docked in ships off the Scottish coast. This really is a beautiful film - the deepest sadness stems from the fact that Bess believes her actions are sanctioned by God and will somehow help her husband to recover. Needless to say, the story ends far more pessimistically than Bess herself would have hoped. I was moved to tears when I saw this film, and I'm going to buy the video in order to depress my girlfriend with it!
Rating: 
Summary: Assign to pretentious drivel.
Review: Yawn, yawn, yawn. Yet another film a-plenty with pretendy-Highlanders portrayed as drunken, sex-starved, violent, religious maniacs who need to be taught by liberal trendies and outsiders what humanity is. The author's artschool-level interpretation of biblical themes is risible. Myself, coming from the islands, a place where neighbours take an interest and care for each other's well-being, where both Presbyterian ministers and Catholic priests do the rounds of the house-bound and dying, this film is an enormous insult to the values that they hold. Can anybody believe that a minister would step over the body of a dying mentally-handicapped young woman to get into his church? If you hold this kind of prejudice, then you'll enjoy this film. What bitter memories or prejudices provoked the author hold to write such a text? Unless you are interested in minority- or Christian-bashing, avoid this at all costs.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful acting, terrible plot
Review: There is no doubt that Emily Watson is a very talented actress, and she deserved her Oscar nomination for her performance in this film. I really liked the "look" of this film - realistic, gritty, very beautiful scenery. The breaks inbetween scenes are also wonderful to watch. However, the story blows chunks, which disappointed me. It's possible to deconstruct anything presented as "art" as being somehow "deep" and meaningful. But give me a break. This is film school angst rearing its immature head. I hope that we see the talented people who created this movie grow into a willingness to explore human nature instead of being stuck in pointless 'Sturm & Drang'.
Rating:
Summary: Breaking the Waves
Review: This movie is without questioning one of the best movies in history of modern movies! Lars Von Trier's masterpiece, Breaking the Waves, is the most beautiful lovestory, which can't be ignored! SEE IT, -and if you don't get/like it: You ain't worthy.
Rating:
Summary: FAntastic
Review: it was the best film I have ever watche
Rating:
Summary: Emily Watson exposes every nerve ending
Review: One of the best films I have every seen--Emily Watson tears up the screen with her performance as a simple, devout woman in touch with her deeply, startlingly sensual self. Expertly pitted against the unforgiving climate of Scotland's coast and the wrath of church elders is the warm, enormous-eyed innocence of Bess with her intense, lushly erotic sensuality. This performance is raw, she exposes her soul; you almost see and feel her nerve endings. It is about devotion and honor, cruelty and hatred, and the hypocrisy of the church. Bess gives everything she has, and never doubts that it's too much. Watson's performance feels like a knife in your heart.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: Lars von Trier abandons the cinematic trappings that graced his fantastic Zentropa in favor of a more immediate almost family-movie like style that harkens back to the German New Wave of cinema. Lots of jump-cutting and much use of hand-held camera shots create the illusion that we're bearing witness to the everyday miracles of love and redemption. Grueling, but worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: Way Beyond The "Here & Now"
Review: One of film makings most valuable centerpieces hovers around a timeless portrait seen in a young lover's belief in true soulmating & a longing for "simply" belonging. Emily Watson merely doesn't become the character, nor just lives it, but dies in it as well. From the beginning as a growing naive, but all encompassing young girl, to the post-teen that embarks upon the holy sanctioned matrimonial vows of marriage, to the torment of necessary seperation from her God-given-lover.....to being his bedside railing as he wishes for annihilation, and to the ultimate giving up of her existence, in exchange for his re-birth. Watson's truly "disturbing" performance comes neck and neck...and possibly peers over the line first, into a life of utter disconnection; where only Nastassja Kinski as "TESS" and Kate Winslet as the forbidden wife of "JUDE" have dangered & risked to go before. It can be said that in illustration, "BREAKING THE WAVES" exemplifies TRUE SACRAFICE in such a committed, engaging and truly unselfish way, that only God Himself towered over, by giving up His life, as a sacrafice for ours.
Rating:
Summary: Time will prove it a classic...
Review: Did you ever notice that almost every movie getsan average of 4.5 stars on Amazon and every movie, no matter how inane gets loads of "the greatest movie ever" quotes. The reasons are obvious, but the result is intriguing. That being said, I was blown away by this film in the theater. Not only does Emily Watson give one of the finest performances in the history of film (up there with Renee Falconetti in the equally devastating "Passion of Joan of Arc") but the stylistic choices of Von Triers elevate an otherwise familiar tale of redemption and sacrifice into something larger and greater. The documentary like approach, coupled with the storyline (which is essentially a fantasy- note the chapter headings and the final image, which, though jarring because of its incongruity with the rest of the body of the film, actually serves to tie the whole film into a cinematic storybook) make for one of the most emotionally draining and cinematically rewarding films I have ever had the fortune of seeing. For another film with a similar contrast between style and content (documentary filmmaking vs. fantastic story) see kore-eda's film, afterlife. It is a shame that Emily Watson's immense talents have not been utilized to such effect since (The Boxer and Hilary and Jackie were much weaker films, despite the comments below) DVD with director and actress' commentaries, please.
Rating:
Summary: Dizzy up this girl
Review: Could divinity exist in the form of irony--particularly that of Ying-Yang, the blurred causal-effectual relationship between good and evil? How do we see ourselves, and with whom do we identify? Von Trier characterizes sexuality as vulgarly natural, yet it raises some critical brows even higher--not unlike the relationship between Bess and the town fogies. The Joan of Arc in this film, Emily Watson, guides the audience in their exploration into the complex relationship between God, man, and the capability of man to think and to act. Bravo.
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