Trailer
Summary
In a small, conservative Scottish village, an oilman is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when he urges her to have sex with another.
Good for
- Thought-provoking
- Adults
- Partner watch
Skip it if
- You need an uplifting mood
- You want fast pacing
- You're watching with family
Where to watch
Fingerprint
At a glance
Critics vs audiences
Critics and audiences agree
Critics 83Audiences 83GoodWatch 82
Tomatometer84%
Metascore82
Audience score91%
Letterboxd · 92 K ratings4.1/5
User score7.9
IMDb7.8
Box office
3.1×its budget
- Budget
- $8 M
- Worldwide
- $23 M
Worldwide it earned $16 M more than it cost.
Running time
2 h 39 min
Longer than 9 in 10 dramas, +50 min on the typical 109
typical 109159Half of all dramas run 98–125 min.
Reach
Streams in 48 countries, rent or buy in 6 more
+38Released
1996
July 5, 1996
30 years ago
Genres
DramaRomanceLanguage
Danish
Original language
Also spoken
EnglishMade in
Denmark
France
Netherlands
Norway
Sweden
Finland
Iceland- United Kingdom
Italy- Belgium
Germany
Switzerland
United States
César Awards1997
- Best Foreign Film1997Won
Academy Awards1997
- Actress in a Leading Role1997Nominated
Rated
- RUnited States
What's in it
- ViolenceMild
- Gore, disturbing imagesMild
- Frightening scenesLittle or none
- Sex, nudityStrong
- Dark themesIntense
- Strong languageNamed in the advisories
In white: what the content advisories name. Levels from the title analysis.
Viewing guide
AdultsPartner WatchSolo WatchThought-ProvokingNot listed for kids or family movie night.
and 13 more33 people
- Emily WatsonBess McNeill
- Stellan SkarsgårdJan Nyman
- Katrin CartlidgeDodo McNeill
- Jean-Marc BarrTerry
- Adrian RawlinsDr. Richardson
- JHJonathan HackettPriest
- Sandra VoeMother
- Udo KierSadistic Sailor
- Mikkel GaupPits
Roef RagasPim- RRRobert RobertsonChairman
- PMPhil McCallGrandfather
- DRDesmond ReillyAn Elder
- SGSarah GudgeonSybilla
Finlay WelshCoroner
David GallacherGlasgow Doctor- RJRay JeffriesMan on Bus
- OKOwen KavanaghMan at Lighthouse
- BDBob DochertyMan on Boat
David BatesonYoung Sailor- CCCallum CuthbertsonRadio Operator
Gavin MitchellPolice Officer 1- BSBrian SmithPolice Officer 2
- IAIain AgnewPraying Man 1
Directing · 4
- Lars von Trier Director, Writer
- Kristoffer Nyholm Second Unit Director
- Linda Daae Continuity
- Morten Arnfred First Assistant Director
Writing · 4
- Tómas Gislason Script Consultant
- Kirsten Bonnén Rask Script Consultant
- Peter Asmussen Co-Writer
- David Pirie Co-Writer
Production · 30
- Lars Jönsson Executive Producer
- Peter Aalbæk Jensen Producer
- Vibeke Windeløv Producer
- Rie Hedegaard Casting
- Joyce Nettles Casting
- Axel Helgeland Co-Producer
Camera · 7
- Robby Müller Director of Photography
- Eric Kress Second Unit Director of Photography
- Per Fredrik Skiöld Assistant Camera
- Rolf Konow Still Photographer
- Jean-Paul Meurisse Camera Operator
- Pim Tjujerman Focus Puller
Editing · 5
- Anders Refn Editor
- Anders Bukh Assistant Editor
- Olivier Fontenay Color Timer
- Marianne Jerris Negative Cutter
- Patrick Dreyfus Color Timer
Sound · 13
- Joachim Holbek Music Arranger, Original Music Composer, Orchestrator
- Per Streit Sound Re-Recording Mixer, Sound Designer
- Kristian Eidnes Andersen Supervising Sound Editor
- Julien Naudin Foley Artist
- Ad Stoop Boom Operator
- Hans Møller Dialogue Editor
Art · 15
- Karl Júlíusson Production Design
- Jonas Alexander Arnby Assistant Property Master
- Peter Øvig Knudsen Location Scout
- Anthony Dod Mantle Location Scout
- Rasmus With Assistant Property Master
- Peter Grant Property Master
Costume & Make-Up · 8
- Manon Rasmussen Costume Design
- Morten Jacobsen Special Effects Makeup Artist
- Sanne Gravfort Makeup Artist
- Binkie Darling Costumer
- Anne-Marie Gudnitz Costume Assistant
- Jennifer Jorfaid Makeup Artist
Lighting · 3
- Christopher Porter Gaffer
- Leif Barney Fick Gaffer
- Søren Johannes Meyer Electrician
Other crew · 24
- Terry Forrestal Stunt Coordinator
- Lasse Spang Olsen Stunts
- Steen Lyders Hansen Visual Effects Editor
- Simon Platz Thanks
- Fredrik Kihl Video Assist Operator
- Torben Skalleræk Carpenter
Tropes
More like this
Similar
Most like Breaking the Waves overall
Nearest on the related map: closest in everything it does to you, not one trait
- Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013)
GoodWatch score 61 - Secret Sunshine (2007)
GoodWatch score 83 - Winter Light (1963)
GoodWatch score 80 - The Silence (1963)
GoodWatch score 82 - The Path (2016)
GoodWatch score 72 - Timbuktu (2014)
GoodWatch score 83 - First Reformed (2018)
GoodWatch score 81 - Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)
GoodWatch score 88 - Who's That Knocking at My Door (1968)
GoodWatch score 65 - Last Tango in Paris (1972)
GoodWatch score 73 - Flies (2026)
GoodWatch score 74 - Paradise: Faith (2013)
GoodWatch score 65 - The Club (2015)
GoodWatch score 77 - Taste of Cherry (1997)
GoodWatch score 80 - True Detective (2014)
GoodWatch score 76 - Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
GoodWatch score 86
Same genre
More drama movies
- The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
GoodWatch score 77 - Django Unchained (2012)
GoodWatch score 82 - Arrival (2016)
GoodWatch score 80 - Full Metal Jacket (1987)
GoodWatch score 82 - The Game (1997)
GoodWatch score 74 - Creed (2015)
GoodWatch score 79 - King Kong (2005)
GoodWatch score 76 - Gone Baby Gone (2007)
GoodWatch score 73