The Broken Circle Breakdown (Felix van Groeningen, Belgium, 2012, 111 min)
WUD Film Mini-Indie Film Festival, Union South Marquee Theater, Saturday, April 26, 2pm»
The Broken Circle Breakdown takes place in Belgium and lays out the relationship between Elise and Didier, two country-lovin’ musicians, in its entirety. These two characters are dissimilar in many ways, but they undoubtedly fall in love at first sight. The film jumps in time from when they first meet to the present when their daughter is hospitalized. These temporal alterations allow us to learn the back story of the couple as we wait in anticipation for the seven-year-old daughter’s fate, and what the future of the family will be. As we learn more about Elise and Didier’s past, we become more invested in what happens to them. The Broken Circle Breakdown is a heartbreaking story, intertwined with great music, that produces a high-tension, emotional experience.
Elise is a tattoo artist who has never heard of Bill Monroe, and Didier is a country music fan who would never get a tattoo, yet there is a spark between them instantly after meeting. Their relationship is conveyed with heated sex scenes and slightly romanticized cuddling, and eye-exchanges while playing music together. Though Elise’s pregnancy was unplanned, the family created is seemingly a deeply loving one. But when their daughter, Maybelle, becomes ill, their family unity is tested.
One of the great things about this film is the incorporation of musical performances. These numbers are shot beautifully and highlight the performers musical abilities, making them very enjoyable to watch. They also successfully break-up the dramatic tension that fill the surrounding scenes. The music is all American country music, including the songs of Hank Williams, Lyle Lovett, and even The Tokens. During the performance of “Country in My Genes,” the camera circles around the bright stage, offering close-ups of the musicians’ fingers mastering their instruments, and also frames both Elise and Didier against the darkened crowd.
The film also is unique in that there’s a heavy focus on American culture. Though it is a Belgian film, America is intertwined into the characters lives. This is most notable with the country-music obsession and performances, but American ideals and politics are also bounced around in conversations and used as fuel in arguments. For example, George W. Bush is shown on the television set, spouting off something against stem cell research, which Didier ultimately uses in an argument against religion.
At first I was skeptical about the heavy use of American symbols and text, because the film seemed to be an ode to America, or perhaps a foreign film trying to produce something equivalent to mainstream Hollywood. But the eventual negative reaction to American politics provided a unique element and a perspective rarely considered. Overall, The Broken Circle Breakdown was original in many ways I did not expect. Though the romanticizing of Didier and Elise’s relationship, and their “love at first sight” meeting is kinda corny, the end result is unexpected and produces a genuine emotional reaction. This is largely due to the well-written story and because the acting, especially from Elise (Veerle Baetens) and Didier, (Johan Heldenbergh), was both jarring and authentic. The drama was hard to watch at times, and usually I don’t like to watch movies like this because of the high emotional toll. But the elaborate musical performances diffused the dramatic tension, making the film a more pleasurable experience.