Breaking the Waves

Breaking the Waves (1996) is Lars von Trier's emotional drama, and you can watch it online on iFILM. On the remote coast of northern Scotland, inside a strict religious community, a guileless young woman named Bess marries Jan, an oil-rig worker, and finds joy she never expected.

Then an accident on the rig leaves Jan paralyzed. From his hospital bed he asks Bess to take other lovers and describe them to him, insisting that this is how he stays alive through her. Convinced she is saving him, she keeps going further, until the village turns on her and she has almost nothing left. Emily Watson, in her first film role, carries the whole 159 minutes, with Stellan Skarsgard opposite her as Jan.

Shot on restless handheld camera and divided into chapters, this is the opening film of von Trier's "Golden Heart" trilogy. It took the Grand Prix at Cannes, and Watson was up for an Academy Award for her work. Brutal, uncompromising, and hard to shake, it rewards anyone willing to sit with real discomfort. Stream Breaking the Waves (1996) online on iFILM.