Breaking The Waves18

Directed by Lars von Trier | Denmark | 1996 | 2h 39m | Starring Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr, Adrian Rawlins

In a small coastal town in Scotland, Bess, a religious young woman, falls in love with Jan, a charming oil rig worker. Shortly after they marry, an unfortunate work accident leaves Jan paralysed and shatters Bess’s world completely. Unable to perform sexually, Jan persuades Bess to have sex with other men, which she comes to believe is God’s work and will cure her husband. Brazen and tender, profane and pure, Lars von Trier became an international sensation with this galvanising realist fable about sex and spiritual transcendence.

Reviews

‘An earnest, yet harrowing, heartbreaker…’
★★★★★
Kevin Maher, The Times

‘Von Trier’s patent insincerity and facetiousness could be read as a satire on movie emotionalism, or as its own kind of conceptual art. Either way, it’s quite an experience.’
★★★★
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Breaking The Waves between November 12, 2023 and November 13, 2023.

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What else is on?

Today (Wednesday 29th November)

21:00

On the Adamant PG
1h 49m | French w/ English subtitles
Nicolas Philibert’s empathetic documentary set in a Parisian care centre for adults with mental health issues. Winner of the Golden Bear (Best Film) at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival.

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Tomorrow (Thursday 30th November)

12:30

Typist Artist Pirate King 12A
Parent + Baby Screening
1h 48m
Monica Dolan and Kelly Macdonald star in Carol Morley's (The Falling, Dreams of a Life) bittersweet drama based on the real-life of forgotten British artist Audrey Amiss.

Book here

16:00

Typist Artist Pirate King 12A
1h 48m
Monica Dolan and Kelly Macdonald star in Carol Morley's (The Falling, Dreams of a Life) bittersweet drama based on the real-life of forgotten British artist Audrey Amiss.

Book here

18:30

The Afterlight PG
+ Director Intro/Q&A
1h 22m
Existing as a sole 35mm print, Charlie Shackleton's otherworldly film essay assembles film clips from across space and time. One-off screening followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker.

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21:00

How to Have Sex 15
1h 31m
Three teenagers go to Crete on a rites-of-passage holiday full of boozing and clubbing in Molly Manning Walker's award-winning look at the joys and the horrors of a distinctly British youth culture.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!