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September 16, 2005

Breaking the Waves - 5

A Scottish film that is heavily influenced by the Scottish church. In this respect the film accurately portrays the harsh Calvinist/Presbyterian perspective of the local church. Which in this case makes for very little grace shown to Bess, the main character, and her outsider husband, Jan. The story follows the marriage relationship of Bess, a devote Christian, and her new husband who works out at sea for extended period on an oil rig. Bess is often in pray about what she should do. After an accident on the job that leaves Jan immobilized, Bess prays for his health and then considers it a power and gift that she has. Her life soon unravels as she works hard to get rid of her guilt. The film is slow moving but deals with some interesting questions of faith, doubt, God, prayer, and sanity. This film is the least glamorous view of marriage I have seen, which doesn't make it totally realistic either, but may be a more honest picture of relationships between broken people.

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