Film Review - The Broken Circle Breakdown (2013)

Available on DVD and Blu Ray -

“The Broken Circle Breakdown” – (2013) –  "Didier" (Johan Heldenbergh) is a romantic atheist who performs in a bluegrass band while "Elise" (Veerle Baetens) is a practical, religious sort who owns a tattoo parlor- the opposites attract, fall madly in love and quickly find themselves the proud parents of a baby girl.  The story takes a heart-wrenching turn as the couple’s young daughter falls seriously ill, severely testing the bond between them.

For substantial stretches, this tragic love story from *Sweden parades around in greatness- the performances and chemistry between the two leads is amazing, the Blue-Grass musical sequences are outstanding while the cinematography is some of the absolute finest of 2013.  I was swept up into the narrative rather quickly and found myself fighting back tears in record time.  The disappointing aspect of this film comes in an unexpected form…

The Broken Circle… could have been one the most emotionally draining, serious-minded dramas ever made, though it is periodically undermined by the filmmakers insistence on awkwardly shoehorning in politically-slanted and anti-religious ulterior motives – these manipulative excursions are painfully obvious (like hitting a speed bump at 50 mph) and aren’t nearly as well-crafted as the compelling drama surrounding them. The experience isn’t ruined by these narrative snags, but it sure works to drop it down a notch or two.

I’m not a religious man, though I’ll be damned if I were to agree with any person or faction demeaning or belittling any poor soul turning to prayer when all other hope appears to be lost- that smacks of cowardice and hypocrisy and speaks volumes about the true nature of certain groups pretending to promote tolerance… it appears they’ve forgotten the meaning of the concept.

There is still plenty of entertainment value here, albeit of the heartbreaking kind, and comes recommended.

8.0 out of 10

*Subtitle alert

Director: Felix van Groeningen
Cast: Johan Heldenbergh, Veerle Baetens and Nell Cattrysse
Run-Time: 111 minutes
MPAA: Unrated but the equivalent of an R for profanity, nudity and sexual content