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The Broken Circle Breakdown main poster

The Broken Circle Breakdown

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7.7/10 • 1K

2012-10-091h 52m

Drama

The loss of their young daughter threatens to destroy the love and faith of two married musicians.

Directors
Felix van Groeningen
Editors
Nico Leunen

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Veerle Baetens

    Veerle Baetens

    Elise

  2. Johan Heldenbergh

    Johan Heldenbergh

    Didier

  3. Nell Cattrysse

    Nell Cattrysse

    Maybelle

  4. Geert Van Rampelberg

    Geert Van Rampelberg

    William

  5. Nils De Caster

    Nils De Caster

    Jock

  6. Robbie Cleiren

    Robbie Cleiren

    Jimmy

  7. Bert Huysentruyt

    Bert Huysentruyt

    Jef

  8. Jan Bijvoet

    Jan Bijvoet

    Koen

  9. Blanka Heirman

    Blanka Heirman

    Denise

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Apr 14, 2024

7/10

This reminded me quite a lot, at times, of "Walk the Line" (2005). "Didier" (Johan Heldenbergh) is a folk musician who believes in little but himself and his band. That is, until he encounters "Elise" (Veerle Baetens). She is a woman of quite profound faith and the two don't seem like they'll make a recipe for an instant hit. They do, though, and shortly afterwards a baby is on the horizon. He's not so keen, he doesn't feel ready (or even that willing) to be a father but have it they do, and its now that the storyline splits into threads that develop the tragic story that ensues and of their individual and joint approaches to the trauma they are both having to face. There's something honest about the portrayals by both here as they initially follow the predictable path of relation self-destruction, but as this story unpicks things at a more personal level we begin to know and to understand the characters a little better and comprehend their differing approaches to grief. The religiosity of his character proves quite a thought-provokingly potent conclusion with an on-stage rant that effectively summarises his lack of faith and that standard of powerful writing, prevalent throughout, demonstrates passion and disgust as well as love and affection. It's frequently quite intimately photographed and is not without a dark, earthy, humour, but for me, it is all about the concluding intensity - and that's worth staying on for.

Media

  • The Broken Circle Breakdown poster
  • The Broken Circle Breakdown poster
  • The Broken Circle Breakdown poster
  • The Broken Circle Breakdown poster
  • The Broken Circle Breakdown poster
  • The Broken Circle Breakdown poster
  • The Broken Circle Breakdown poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
Dutch
Budget
--
Revenue
$5,500,000.00
Keywords
9/11death of a childintensepowerful