Breaking the Waves

The first film I have discovered on my journey to find those forgotten films of yesteryear is the Lars von Trier classic Breaking the Waves from 1996. The film stars Emily Watson as a mentally unstable woman named Bess who gets married to a roughneck named Jan, played by Stellan Skarsgard. When Jan is injured in an accident on an oil rig he is left paralyzed. He then tells Bess to seek out men and make love to them so she can recount the experience to him so he won't forget how to make love and thus keep him alive with love. Bess gradually does this and in a series of tragic attempts, she ends up sacrificing herself for the sake of Jan. Katrin Cartlidge gives a great supporting performance as Bess's friend and sister-in-law and Udo Kier has a small role as a sadistic sailor.
This is an exceptional film from the controversial Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. It is erotic, gut wrenching, and very well directed with a sense of realism that makes it feel like you are there with these characters going through the experiences they are. Emily Watson gives the performance of her career as she portrays one of the most complex and loveable characters in film. Her main motive is to do anything for Jan, she wants and needs Jan, because she loves only him.
With all this finding this film is damn near impossible. I was lucky enough to find this film on YouTube with French subtitles. As far as the DVD availbility goes, a brand new one amazon.com runs nearly one hundred dollars, where a used one runs at least thirty dollars for the bare bones Artisan release.
There are rumours that the Criterion Collection might release this film as their 2012 slate but no official word has been heard. That is purely speculation and on my part immense hope, since this amazing film desperately needs the Criterion treatment. It was released as a laserdisc for the Criterion, so here's hoping it gets the blu-ray/DVD treatment. If so it will join other von Trier films: The Element of Crime, Europa, and AntiChrist on Criterion.
This is one film, that does not need to be forgotten. It is an uncompromising look at love and dedication that puts most films to shame.