Oftentimes, one hits upon a film filled with stunning, emotional moments that make one want to initially overlook the forest from the trees. Unfortunately, a glance at the overall picture reveals a mess that overshadows those fine bits of genuine emotions and creates a difficult, almost borderline incomprehensible experience. Enter "The Broken Circle Breakdown," one of the most frustrating films this critic has ever watched and one that is as convoluted and confusing as its title.
A few years ago, director Derek Cianfrance introduced the world to "Blue Valentine," a crude film that simultaneously portrays the rise and fall of marriage in nonlinear fashion. With "Broken Circle," director Felix Van Groeningen seems to be aiming for the same goal, but the result lacks the structural cohesion of its predecessor.
As the film initiates, Elise and Didier are in the midst of battling to save the life of their cancer-stricken daughter Maybelle. The film promptly cuts back to the lovers' first sexual experience together before returning to the cancer fight. The story of Maybelle's cancer will intertwine with the marriages' early years until Maybelle meets her demise. At this point 45 minutes in (at least it feels that long), the story heads down a new path. This time Van Groeningen parallels more scenes of the characters' earliest meetings (prior to the marriage) with their disintegrating relationship. When the film enters into its third act, one major character has made a life-changing decision and the narrative seeks to bring us to that point with the similar non-linear structure.
The viewer quickly gets lost in the film's story with questions about its direction continually cropping up. Is this a film about a father and mother battling their child's cancer? That answer is dashed quickly. Is it then about parents coping with the loss of a child and in the process becoming more distanced? It certainly aims to be until it loses itself in pretentious questions about God and stem cell research. It almost seems as if the writers only saw religious divide as the main way to break up these two characters; while understandable the result feels manipulative and feeble. While it is understandable that a hurting parent will look to place the blame on external sources, the film's investigation crosses the line of becoming didactic. In one scene, Didier yells at the television while U.S. President George W. Bush talks about denying the further development of stem cell research on religious grounds. He breaks into a vicious tirade about the hypocrisy of the United States and blames them for his daughter's death. In a moment of awkward self-parody, Didier asks a question and Bush, on television, turns to him and answers it; it not only emphasizes the preachy tone but also makes the seemingly emotional moment for Didier cringe-worthy and laughable. In another scene, Didier interrupts his own concert to preach to the audience about God being evil and sadistic; he also brings up his daughter's death in connection with the lack of scientific development. The political/religious agenda borders on farce at this point and makes an otherwise emotional journey feel one-dimensional.
The lecturing is only one of many other problems that "Broken Circle" exhibits. Every time that the script calls for a montage, Van Groeningen indulges in yet another bluegrass song/performance. The audience understands that music is an essential part of the characters' lives and serves as healing, but the technique wears its welcome after its third use. In the final scene, it comes back and feels heavy-handed.
Then comes the final act. At one point in the story, an important sequence is revealed with one character in a precarious circumstance. Van Groeningen immediately cuts back to an earlier event and leaves the audience anticipating the result of the initial tease for another 30 minutes. What happens in that span? The viewer is forced to endure more musical performances and even more scenes in which Didier and Elise fight over religion, etc. The result is that the viewer, already subjected to similar ploys earlier in the movie, feels manipulated by the director to have to endure more repetitive moments before being given the payoff. As the film expires, the spectator is also presented with an experimental montage that feels jarring in the context of the entire film; it almost seems as if the filmmakers had no ideas left and figured that throwing together an experimental section would be artful enough to get them by. It most definitely is not.
As stated in the opening paragraph, this film does include a number of beautiful moments. In one chilling scene, a bird crashes into a glass window and falls limp in front of young Maybelle. She picks it up and asks her father about death. When he tries to take it from her, she runs off destroyed; she knows what is going to happen to her. Later on, Maybelle reveals to her father that she thinks that the dead bird has become a star. Despite his own beliefs, he accepts his daughter's theory in one of the film's most tender displays. After the death of Maybelle, Elise and Didier engage in a tremendous argument in which they blame one another for their daughter's fate; after all the hurtful attacks, the scene comes to an end in a subtle but rousing moment of truth. The majority of these powerful scenes come in the film's first two acts with the final one spinning into borderline-farcical soap opera territory; one character changes names to denote a "new phase."
It is so hard to dislike this film mainly because Veerle Baetens and Johan Heldenbergh give such beautiful performances. Baetens plays the heavily tattooed Elise with youthful charm early on but eventually transforms into a weary depressive woman. Her youthful energy is gone and the tattoos, which seem vibrant initially, feel like weights carrying all of her pain. Heldenbergh is gruff and serious throughout, but his candor and humorous touches match Baetens charisma at the start of the film. As the story enters its final act, he becomes a vulnerable, explosive man that elicits both fear and compassion.
"The Broken Circle Breakdown" is laden with beautiful imagery and heart-breaking encounters between the main characters and their ill-fated daughter. However the film, which clocks in at less than two-hours, feels like it exceeds the 120-minute mark and drags on to its convoluted and unnecessary finale; even when it feels like it's over, "Broken Circle" finds another way to drag on for what seems like another hour. The end result is one of frustration for all the wonderful work that ultimately gets misused.
"The Broken Circle Breakdown" plays at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 19, 22, 23, and 26.
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