Breaking the Waves

Newsweek by David Ansen

There are few movies around that take such huge risks: this is high-wire filmmaking, without a net of irony.

The New York Times by Elvis Mitchell

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.

Chicago Reader by Jonathan 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.

The A.V. Club by Keith Phipps

What Von Trier arrives at is a complex, contemporary, and deeply moving exploration of faith.

Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman

True art is a journey to somewhere you've never been, and there has never been a movie quite like Breaking the Waves.

San Francisco Chronicle by Peter Stack

One of the most haunting and vital movies of the year.

Rolling Stone by Peter Travers

"Waves" is a spellbinder.

Time by Richard Corliss

In its pagan fervor, this is an almost religious experience.

Austin Chronicle by Russell 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.