By: Alex Phuong (A Toast) –
Some of the best performances ever given are the first ones. Performers like Eva Marie Saint and Julie Andrews have won Oscars for their film debuts. Even if an actor or an actress does not win, their legacies continue to endure on the screen and within reality. Emily Watson might not have the same level of recognition as she had in the 1990s, but she definitely demonstrated her acting abilities in her first film, Breaking the Waves.
A Toast!
This is one of the most beautiful love stories ever filmed! Emily Watson herself might have lost the Oscar to Frances McDormand in Fargo, but Watson demonstrates her acting talents formidably. Her character, Bess McNeill, is a very courageous woman given her personal circumstances. Part of the reason why Watson deserved her nominations was because of her transformation into a very complex character. This film is definitely NOT a typical Hollywood love story because it takes drama to a whole new level!
Verdict
Virginia Woolf might have written The Waves, but Emily Watson epitomizes a heroine as complicated as Woolf, and the themes explored in modern literature and cinema.
Breaking the Waves (1996) Bonus Drinking Game
Take a Drink: every time waves crash
Drink Carefully: because of the restless cinematography
Do Not Be Sober: because of the emotional editing
And Have One Final Toast: to the power of love!
