The Broken Circle Breakdown

• Veerle Baetens: Elise
• Johan Heldenbergh: Didier
• Nell Cattrysse: Maybelle
• Geert van Rampelberg: William
• Nils De Caster: Jock
• Robbie Cleiren: Jimmy
• Bert Huysentruyt: Jef
• January Bijvoet: Koen
• Blanka Heirman: Denise

The Broken Circle (Original Title: The Broken Circle Breakdown ) is a film drama that focuses on the response of parents after the loss of her child. The film directed by Felix Van Groeningen was in 2013 at the Berlinale with the Panorama Audience Award. The plot is based on a play by Johan Heldenbergh, the male lead of the film.

Action

The Bluegrass singer Didier falls in love with the tattoo artist Elise. You spend a passionate time on his farm until Elise is unexpectedly pregnant. From then on, the two share their lives with Maybelle, her little daughter. Your happiness between cattle and bluegrass band seems to be perfect, because the diagnosis of leukemia shaken the young family.

A special feature of the narrative structure is that the events are not shown in chronological order. Thus lives of the spectators in the first minutes of the film the conversation of the parents with the doctor at Maybelle's before he learns how to Didier and Elise met at all. The results presented live country ballads, sung in front of audiences of Didier and Elise, are driving part of the narrative content, comment on the emotional level, the inner action and form a kind of red thread at the level of the narrated emotions.

Criticism

In the current reviews, after starting the film in German cinemas, some critics praising in particular the dramatic performance of the two protagonists, and the camera work and the " excellent cut." Thus, the film magazine Cinema emphasizes on its website its " expressiveness ", often " narrative content and emotions through facial expressions or symbolic gestures " Replace. "

Also critic.de emphasizes the " credible and honest interaction " of the two main characters, the film 's often very " intense closeness to the audience " owe. The film trying the capture in his paintings, which is not pronounceable is: "To have to watch the boundless anger and Desparation, their own child dying ." The " flood of images " thereby producing " compassion without being too maudlin. "

The world speaks of a " disaster on film artfully illustrated ", the one as a spectator " with great emotional power " so meet that one " as it were wounded " go at the end of the movie. The " special emotional arc " of the movie like this a " melody ", the " no simple Sinkkurve the happy acquaintance for later drifting apart, but a true soundscape of echoing, overlapping sensations " creates. It remains also " the inspiration for great feelings that sell no later terror " could.

The mirror points in his film criticism in a similar way to the " tragedy " that " The Broken Circle" for Didier, Elise and Maybelle hold ready and the " to and beyond the limits of human endurance " went. Long there was " no such a beautiful film about the life and love like this ", which could be carried away as a.

Critic.de boasts beyond the harmonic coherence of the music is played live song deposits " in the face of blind fate " a little " consolation " donation. Similarly, it is said in the world, the film was " unable to hold his sadness if it were not for the music." The recurring appearances of the common bond of Didier and Elise would give the film a " scaffold on which the audience could hold if it threatens to flood the waves of emotion ". The music sounds " with its unique mix of melancholy and optimism just as would be into it the most diverse experiences of joy and sorrow flowed " and adapt to this film, " as they would be to first originated " - " resonate with their" procure " soothing consolation ".

The Frankfurter Rundschau says in her review of the Songklasssikern in this film, the " so wonderful " with the " highly emotional and haunting life played fragments " in " The Broken Circle" would work together. The " beautiful songs " would, however, like " the emotive putty to the already highly emotion -laden scenes " partially act in the film. In a constant game of Chapel in the death scenes and prosper, so the criticism of the Frankfurter Rundschau, Van Groeningen not make for " a minor character down to the smallest coherent ensemble playing ," as the pair "isolated" to am working.

Critic. de and the mirror go in their reviews of the film in addition to the narrative principle of "The Broken Circle", which, according to critic.de " consistently against classical Narrationslogik the tragedy " turn and completely break with the chronology of events. Cloned, however critic.de of the " heavy-handed polemic ," which arises through the blending of scenes of mourning for Maybelle with the television images of September 11th and the television appearance of George Bush. The " balancing act between individual destiny and World Politics " in " The Broken Circle" alleged fail loudly critic.de one more time, as Didier " with awkward gestures " trying to establish a connection between the aloofness of Bush towards stem cell research and the death of Maybelle. The bow on the " peculiar sideshow America, the film apparently deconstructing " try to be " stretched too far " and verpatze repeated " the leap from the micro to the macro level of the narrative."

Likewise, the mirror sees the associative narrative structure of the film partly critical. Not " that everything would be perfect: it is said in the film criticism of the Mirror The consistently non-linear narrative structure falls into the second half a little out of sync. And the occasional excursions act in the ethics debate about stem cell research neither natural nor credible. But these are problems that can be here pretty easy wegheulen. "

The TAZ criticized in its film review, especially the lack of credibility of the milieu depicted in the film. " The Broken Circle" giving Although a lot of effort " to gain appeal from his subculture - proletarian Setting". With regard to the use of music this is essentially " very good" succeeded, apart from the duplication of the action on the screen and the song lyrics again; concerts by Elise, Didier and her band had " something Electrifying ". However, it did not succeed Van Groeningen, " really on the environment and engage it accordingly credible set the scene ", as the film confines itself " it to assert itself as a backdrop ." The "non- fading tattoos " by Elise are by far not the only thing you can not pick up this fiction. The film ignores the desirable " appreciation of the physical conditions and fidelity to the material " and was therefore ultimately unable "to respect the pain and suffering of the characters ." Similarly, the TAZ criticizes the narrative logic and dramaturgy of the film in the second half: " Is the dramaturgical node only once so lashed as after the first half of" The Broken Circle ", it is virtually hopeless to find an exit from the story. There is a solution, but has something mechanical: The first disaster is surpassed by a second ".

Awards

• Berlinale 2013 Panorama Audience Award
• Festroia - Troia International Film Festival: Golden Dolphin ( Best Film )
• Hawaii International Film Festival 2013: Euro Cinema Hawai'i Award ( Best Film )
• CPH: PIX Award 2013: Audience Award at the policies
• The movie norske festivalen 2013: Audience Award
• Tribeca Film Festival 2013: Best Actress ( Veerle Baetens ) and Screenplay Award
• European Film Awards 2013: Veerle Baetens Award for Best Actress (European Actress) as well as nominations for film, director, screenplay and actor ( Johan Heldenbergh ).
• César 2014 César for Best Foreign Language Film