Imagine a movie that combines the warm, musical charm of "Once", the soul-crushing realism of "Blue Valentine", and children with cancer. If you read that and thought "yes, that's something I'd like to watch", then you'll adore "The Broken Circle Breakdown". Also, you're probably not a lot of fun at parties.
"The Broken Circle Breakdown" is Belgium's official entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming Academy Awards. The country was last nominated for the award in 2011 for "Bullhead", about a man who had his testicles crushed as a young boy. Gee, Belgium must be full of smiles.
It's a case of love at first sight for Didier (Johan Heldenbergh) and Elise (Veerle Baetens). Didier's charm and passion for American bluegrass music finds beautiful harmony with the fun-loving, heavily tattooed Elise. She moves in with him on his ramshackle farm, and the two share passionate love that one could only dream for, complete with outdoor shower sex. Their relationship grows into marriage and eventually a lovely daughter named Maybelle (Nell Cattrysse). But tragedy threatens the happy family when Maybelle is stricken with cancer. As they cope with this unthinkable heartache, Didier and Elise pull further apart as they clash over combative ideologies.
"The Broken Circle Breakdown" is an adaptation of a stage play, written by star Johan Heldenbergh. Writer-director Felix Van Groeningen builds the experience as an intimate character piece, then broadens the scope by slowly introducing religious and political concepts. The arguments are presented rationally (mostly), with each side being given room to air its ideas. Didier is an atheist and he views religion as an emotional crutch with no real value and something that is hindering scientific progress. Elise is more open-minded to a spiritual afterlife and finds reassurance in her beliefs. I have mixed feelings about the climax of this particular argument in the film, which gives Didier a stage to grandstand on in a ranting, raving sort of way. The words are relevant, but the subtlety is lost and makes it feel a bit overdone.
Heldenbergh and Baetens are remarkable as a couple buckling under the sorrow of their own misfortune. Heldenbergh acts as the more rational of the two, fitting in with his characters' practical lifestyle. As the emotionally extreme Elise, Baetens strikes all the right notes taking full advantage of the melodramatic tone. Perhaps most enjoyable however is watching Heldenbergh and Baetens when they perform together. Those scenes not only feature delightful music, but also terrific achievement in acting through body language.
As a melodrama, this film is obviously set on playing an emotional game. By telling the story in a non-linear fashion, Van Groeningen is able to manipulate each cut in a way to maximize the gut-punching effect. There are lots of chances for jarring juxtaposition here, particularly in showing a happy and healthy Maybelle, immediately followed by her laying sick in a hospital bed. There's also much sadness in seeing the once happy Didier and Elise turn hateful in the matter of a single cut. This movie will repeatedly warm your heart, only to squeeze it mercilessly in the next breath.
"The Broken Circle Breakdown" is a great movie, but it's hard to recommend. The only people that will enjoy this are those who relish the chance to study films in order to derive meaningful themes and symbolism. Casual audiences, steer clear unless you want your day ruined.
"The Broken Circle Breakdown" will make its American debut on November 1st at Sunshine Cinema in NYC.
