Breaking the Waves (156 min., Denmark, 1996)

Set in the early 1970's amid a small, tightly-knit community on the remote north coast of Scotland, BREAKING THE WAVES tells the story of Bess, a young, naive girl, and her profound experience of love. Bess, who has lived her life protected by her family -- her mother, grandfather and recently widowed sister-in law, Dodo -- within the confined world of strict Calvinism, falls in love with Jan, a stalwart oil-rig worker and man of the world. Jan, in turn, is captivated by Bess' innocence and the purity she radiates. Despite local opposition, the couple marries.

For a brief and happy time, the newlyweds live an intense love life; but when Jan has to return to the oil-rig, Bess is distraught. Their long, nightly phone calls charged with emotion, fail to quell her longing and she prays fervently to God for Jan's return. The return is sooner than expected: an explosion on the rig seriously injures Jan and suffering potentially fatal brain damage and total paralysis, he is flown back to the hospital.

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