The Broken Circle Breakdown - Tumblr Posts
Words cannot express how moved I was by this film. Firstly the soundtrack was stunning. I never devoted much attention to bluegrass music but after watching this film I think I will listen to some and explore the genre. The music fit perfectly with the emotional intensity of the film. The first scene in which the couple sang together was my favorite because I felt Didier’s excitement in the moment. He had never heard Elise sing before, and when they sang in unison, it was if everything, their tone, their love, was perfect. I felt the vibrations and the tone deep in my soul and it overwhelmed me, almost if I had felt a "spirit."
It was also interesting to see America from an outside perspective, especially from a bluegrass lovin Belgian's perspective! Every time I come back to America from a travel experience I often fall in and out of love with my country. The scene in which Bush said that he refused to invest in stem cell research was heartbreaking, and I felt Didier’s pain. I enjoyed the political and religious undertones in the film, and how the characters' views affected how they dealt with adversity in their lives.
This film makes me think about love, and how long it can possibly last. I know it can't last forever, I just hope I find someone who doesn't give up, like Didier did not. In the beginning of their relationship, they seemed so in tune with each other. I wonder how their lives would have been if their daughter hadn't died. I wonder if they would still be together, and if Elise would still be alive. It’s a scary thought. Is life merely a game of chances? Of luck? I think any couple would hit its brink with a situation like that. But what about the ones who stay together? Do they fundamentally have something that the other couples don't?
The sad part is, you don’t know until you have been put to the test. I admired Didier’s idealistic nature but he was too exhausting for me. I admired Elise’s realistic down to earth nature but she was too aloof for me. I could see faults and merits in both characters. If I had to choose one to marry I would choose Didier though, because at least he has a passion for something. He chooses to act. I have had the pleasure of being in love and one thing I know is that inaction is the killer of love. Elise essentially refused to act. But again, Didier's atheist views were bordering on obsession, and anything in excess like that turns me off.
On a side note, I thought Elise’s tattoos were beautiful, her hair was beautiful, and that the lighting in the performance scenes were very seductive. I also liked how “real” the characters looked. They weren’t airbrushed creatures, they were flawed, sexy human beings. An American film surely would have cleaned them up and removed all cellulite and crooked teeth. I learned some new things about Belgian as well. I had no idea people from Belgium spoke Dutch, so that was very fun trying to figure out what language they were speaking.
This film was so original and fresh, I really really hope they win the best foreign language Oscar, that or Danish film “The Hunt,” which I may also write about soon.
#74 2013 in retrospect: AUTUMN in Lodz | in Warsaw