Disc Reviews

The Broken Circle Breakdown Review

• 1st Dec 2013

Set in and around Ghent between 1998 – 2006, this Flemish Belgium film follows the love story between Elise and Didier who to all intents and purposes have the perfect love affair. The film opens at the moment the future couple get together or at least the spark occurs when she walks into a gig with Didier singing The Carter Family song, ‘The Circle’ (that the title alludes to) – which of course the lyrics set out the stabilization of the loving family unit. Elise meets Didier while working as a tattooist. He invites her to a gig and when she arrives on her own she is pleasantly surprised to see that he is the singer and banjoist in a Bluegrass band. Through their joint interest in Americana they soon fall in love while a short while later she falls pregnant. When she tells Didier that she is pregnant he is at first angry and disappointed but naturally takes care of her and his daughter (and music) who become everything to him. Tragedy strikes when their daughter, Maybelle becomes ill and is diagnosed with an aggressive for of cancer.

The film follows their relationship over the years and jump cuts backwards and forwards in time. At no point does this confuse the narrative but merely allows the viewer in on the rollercoaster of their emotional ups and downs. To say that this film pulls on the heartstrings is a gross understatement as it threatens to lay out the raw emotions to the point that of breaking. Instead the jump-cuts work effectively as we see the family unit go from joy to despair in a single jump.

There are number of motifs that run through the film including the very prominent tattoos adorning Elise’s body. These, like The Illustrated Man act as traces to her past loves and past tragedies and appear on her body throughout the ups and downs of her relationship with Didier; he is overjoyed when during lovemaking she has a new tattoo with his name. Like Dorian Gray’s painting it is as though the marks in her life also leave traces on her skin or at least come to the surface. The look of Veerle Baetens is as another piece of Americana with her burlesque look, make-up and tattoos. Everything about the pair alludes to this Americana – she drives a pick-up truck and he, when they meet lives in a trailer home. In fact transport is another recurring motif; a place where lovemaking takes place, as well as rage movement of the relationship.

Based off the play, ‘The Broken Circle Breakdown Featuring the Cover-Ups of Alabama’ written by the films lead, Johan Heldenbergh (who looks a dead ringer for a bewhiskered Kris Kristofferson) and Mieke Dobbels, has at its centre love: love between two and then three people, love of the family unit and love of music, but within this are the pendulum emotions of pain, joy, heartbreak and death. Baetens as Elise is simply brilliant and understated. No matter how dramatic Didier becomes or how tragic the situation is she remains balanced with normal emotions and is totally believable. The film is raw and in places sentimental, but never descends into the mawkish and treacle. Set to a soundtrack of some fantastic Bluegrass music it feels very much like an American Indie film, which director Felix van Groeningen seems to have pitched just right. There is one scene on stage in which Didier sings to his lover ‘I Will Follow You’, the beautiful song originally performed by Townes Van Zandt and Emmylou Harris. He reaches at his hand but she fails to respond. After the song on the stage he launches a tirade against God (after watching George W. Bush on the news stating that he would stop stem cell research). This tirade deliberately makes the viewer feel uncomfortable as the man on the edge seems to be heading towards a Freudian death drive.

This film should deservedly become a modern classic and deserves all positive recognition. It is already garnering a modest cult status but deserves so much more. A pleasant surprise is highly recommended. Other than the trailer there are no extras on the disc.

Chris Hick