The Belgium film The Broken Circle Breakdown is a tragic story of loss and the different ways people cope. Directed by Felix Van Groeningen, it was nominated for the best foreign language film Oscar for 2012. At the heart of the film is a love of bluegrass music, a quintessentially American genre. The central characters are a couple who play in a bluegrass band. Didier is Flemish, but he loves American culture. He idolises Bill Monroe. Elise is a tattoo artist. Just as free-spirited as Didier, they find soulmates in each other, and change each others’ lives. When the non-committal Didier finally settles down and the couple have a child despite their fears, their hippy lifestyle gets a bit more serious. When their child is diagnosed with an illness, they are forced to confront the reality of losing the most valuable thing in their lives. The Broken Circle Breakdown is not a very easy film to watch. It is about loss and heartbreak and how artists alchemise their pain through their art. The evolution of the relationship between Didier and Elise doesn’t do anything on the nose. In scene after scene, we see a once happy couple spin out of control and tumble into a freefall of drugs and messy fights. Broken Circle is realistic in these scenes, you might see a bit of your own life here. There is tragedy and pain here, as there is tremendous sympathy for the characters, but there is no moralising. Even when Elise goes out of control, or when Didier behaves immaturely, we see the characters as people – certainly not perfect, but flawed mortals who are doing the best they can. Nobody really prepares on you how to be a parent, you learn on the fly. And when tragedy strikes and things go against the natural order, the circle breaks down. Nobody tells you what do when that happens. Some pull through, some don’t. l
