Watch The Broken Circle Breakdown For Free

Excellent but underrated film

Admirable film.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Two bluegrass musicians meet, fall in love and wrestle with their emotions as their daughter is diagnosed with cancer in this compelling drama from Belgium. Johan Heldenbergh is excellent throughout as the very emotionally torn husband and the film utilises music interludes very well, but it is the non-linear structure of the film that stands up best as the film plays out a more a stream of consciousness tale than a traditional narrative, as if the whole film is Heldenbergh's own personal reflections on his life. The ups and downs of his tale also benefit from the film taking place out of order; they are more enthralling and tragic knowing what is to come. The politics of the film are, however, very heavy-handed, and with quite a bit of speechmaking and angry rants on Heldenbergh's behalf, his grief is sometimes uncomfortably pushed into the backdrop. While hardly the happiest film ever made, it should perhaps be noted that 'The Broken Circle Breakdown' is not quite as bleak as all that. There is ample time spent on his happy moments to the point that one can see the film about cherishing good memories and trying to not let bad memories overpower them. The film finds an excellent child performance in Nell Cattrysse too. The scene in which she refuses to let go of a dead bird, realising that it could very well be her, is absolutely heartbreaking.

Hello everyone, I have just seen The Broken Circle Breakdown, a Belgian and Dutch movie from 2012. It is a drama and there are two leading actors : Johan Heldenbergh as Didier and Veerle Baetens as Elise.Didier is a musician, he plays the banjo and he is in a bluegrass group, he sleeps in a caravan close to his old farm. Elise has her own tattoo shop. He is atheist and she has a tattoo of a big cross in her neck. But in spite of their differences, they loved each other as soon as they met for the first time. Elise can sing pretty well so she joins the group. When Elise announces to Didier that she is pregnant, he is surprised but they are both delighted. Didier repairs his old farm to welcome the newborn child. Maybelle is born, we can see how they take care of her and how happy they are. But when she turns 6 or 7, Maybelle becomes seriously ill and she finally passes away. After this tragedy, Didier and Elise react completely differently. Will their relationship survive even if they are going on different paths ?I really enjoyed watching this movie. It is rare that I watch a movie from my country and after having seen this one, I will maybe change this bad habit. The actors are really talented and it's about a story that can happen to all of us. This movie was really moving and gripping and the music was well-chosen and beautiful.In conclusion, I can only recommend it to all of you but be careful, you will need tissues!

Definitely reminds me a lot of Blue Valentine, even if not as refined. By that, I mean that it feels like the story is thinner and that it seems to have less of a goal. The circumstances are even more tragic though, involving the two leads' daughter. This isn't an easy film to watch at times, but the music and the performances really elevate the thin screenplay. Some of the music here is glorious, and the two leads give some pretty strong work that is bound to bring tears to many people's eyes. The cinematography is also really beautiful, highlighting the right colors as to give emphasis to the emotions the leads are feeling. Overall, definitely recommended.

It may have taken a while for The Broken Circle Breakdown to reach Australian cinema screens, but it was most certainly worth the wait. This Belgian film is a powerful warts-and-all treatise on the power of love, both as a force of great joy and as the catalyst for the events in our lives that cause us the most pain. Following a slew of award wins at festivals around the world, the film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2013 Academy Awards (where it somehow lost to The Great Beauty) and it is easy to see why this story has found so much favour with festival audiences and critics alike. This is the heartbreaking love story of Didier (Johan Heldenbergh), a banjo player in a bluegrass band, and Elise (Veerle Baetens), the sexy, vivacious tattoo artist for whom he falls head over heels.Our couple settle into a life of domestic bliss in a ramshackle caravan situated in rural environs somewhere near the Flemish city of Ghent; a picturesque setting in which chickens wander aimlessly around the yard. Soon enough, daughter Maybelle is born and the relationship between Didier and Elise only seems to strengthen as they embrace parenthood and set forth on repairing the dilapidated house that Didier has neglected for too long. However, happy families and home renovations do not an engaging drama make and when Maybelle is diagnosed with cancer, the relationship between Didier and Elise becomes strained. The tension in the story escalates but, despite claims to the contrary by some, it never drifts excessively into the melodrama realm because nothing seems exaggerated and the characters are far from stereotypical. Most movies that deal with cancer are sickly sweet and overly simplistic in their handling of such scenarios, but not on this occasion. Superb performances, particularly from Baetens and the young Nell Cattrysse as Maybelle, imbue the film with a sense of realism that makes you forget these are just characters; you feel as though you are watching real people. Director Felix van Groeningen has created an intimate world in which our connection with the family is palpable. Heldenbergh, who co-wrote the play from which the film is adapted, plays Didier as a stoic, quietly spoken musician whose personality is at odds with the much more outgoing Elise, her body adorned with tattoos that symbolise her life thus far. Despite their differences, the relationship works and Elise soon finds herself part of the band, bringing a new dimension to their concerts.The film opens at the hospital when Elise and Didier learn that Maybelle has cancer. Next, we are privy to the moment when Didier first takes Elise home to his country compound and, from this point, the story continues to skip around in time, jumping forward and backwards to slowly reveal the full sequence of events. The decision to present the narrative in a non-linear style is a challenge at times, with fantastic editing seamlessly melding one scene into the next, even though they may be set months, or years, apart. In the end though, it all comes together beautifully. Set in the early years of the 21st century, we see the twin towers attacked on television at one point and it is George W. Bush's decision to prohibit stem cell research - which we also see via a television broadcast - that sends Didier into fits of rage that serve as a renouncement of his love affair with America. The bluegrass music, presented via a series of terrific concert sequences, is fantastic. Although the songs – all of which are performed in English - may reflect upon the sorrows and hardships of life, they never feel depressing or downbeat in the hands of this motley group of musicians.It is rare to find a film that is dramatically, politically, emotionally and musically rich, but The Broken Circle Breakdown delivers on all fronts. Whereas Joel and Ethan Coen preferred to parody such musical styles and sensibilities with O Brother Where art Thou?, this film takes a much more reverent approach. This is a soul-stirring drama rich in heartache that never tries to accommodate genre tropes or audience expectations. This is a film about love but it is also a film about faith, with Didier particularly strident in his beliefs regarding god and religion. Whilst this is that very rarest of beasts in that it is a love story worth watching, it is much more than that. The Broken Circle Breakdown is just a fabulous film in every respect.