International Journal of Science, Engineering and TechnologyAuthors: Panagiota Boumpouli
Abstract: Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves (1996) has generated extensive scholarly debate regarding its treatment of religion, gender, sexuality, sacrifice, and transcendence. While previous studies have primarily interpreted the protagonist, Bess McNeill, either as a Christ-like figure or as a victim of patriarchal religious ideology, this article proposes an alternative reading grounded in Søren Kierkegaard's philosophy of existence. It argues that Bess embodies the Kierkegaardian knight of faith, whose radical commitment to divine love transcends universal ethical norms through the paradoxical movement of faith. Drawing upon Fear and Trembling, Philosophical Fragments, and Stages on Life's Way, the article examines how Bess's existential journey unfolds through Kierkegaard's three stages of existence—the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious. Particular attention is devoted to the concepts of the leap of faith, infinite resignation, paradox, and agapic love, demonstrating that Bess's sacrifice cannot be adequately understood as passive submission or psychological pathology. Instead, her actions constitute a conscious existential choice motivated by unconditional love and an absolute relation to God. Furthermore, the article explores von Trier's symbolic use of sexuality, corporeality, suffering, and the recurring motif of the church bells as theological signs that challenge institutional religion while affirming divine grace. Ultimately, Breaking the Waves presents transcendence not as an escape from human existence but as its deepest realization through suffering, love, and faith. By bringing Kierkegaard's existential theology into dialogue with contemporary film analysis, this study offers a new interpretation of von Trier's film, positioning Bess not merely as a tragic heroine but as an authentic religious subject whose paradoxical faith transforms both herself and those around her.
