It's a dark and dreary winter, so let's make it worse with Lars von Trier's 1996 film: BREAKING THE WAVES
Ho Ho Ho Ho-ello there!
It has come upon us once again: the Christmas season. And as was aforementioned, its getting darker. We must let you know that this was not planned... or our tolerance levels are so out of whack that we've blackened our souls and have detached ourselves from societal norms...
Annnnyyyywwwaaaayyyyyy, there's nothing more Christmas-sy than Lars Von Trier! And this film; starring Stellan Skarsgård and Emily Watson, in her first film role, lets us know that we're in for a rough ride for a good 2 hours and 40 mins. Thankfully, it's all set on an "unnamed Scottish Isle" where everyone's accents are all over the place, the sideburns are "pure 70s", the medical equipment looks outdated, and it's all brown. And that means we're in the past.
DESCEND INTO THE DARKNESS WITH US ALL!
Nudity and Naivety: Exploring 'Breaking the Waves' This Holiday Season
Ryan: Wa.
Laura: Hello there. I wanted to start with like, a who O. Oh. But that doesn't go with a well. And it doesn't go with the hu. Well.
Ryan: Ho.
Laura: Ho hlo there. What does that work?
Ryan: It, uh, just say.
Laura: Okay, hold on. I'll do it better.
Ryan: Like on the mic.
Laura: Well, h h hlo there. How's that? Welcome to On the BiTTE. Don't answer me. Yeah, uh, the podcast that uncovers full frontal male nudity in cinema around the holidays. Specifically.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: Right now.
Ryan: Test the season.
Laura: And, uh, we are. I'm messing this up so bad. Just keep going. We are on the BiTTE am m Laura and I'm joined by my co host, Ryan.
Ryan: I'm Ryan. Yes. Yeah. No, you've made this. Yeah. You've made this intro. Absolutely agonizing. Kind of a little bit like this movie.
Laura: Yes. The 1996 psychological romantic melodrama Breaking the Waves, directed by Lars von Trier.
Ryan: Yep. Yep.
Laura: This film is. We really wanted to make it a really, really difficult holiday season for everybody. So this is the first of two really intense and, uh, um, not sad, but maybe just.
Ryan: This is kind of sad.
Laura: It's a little bit sad, but with hope.
Ryan: Pretty sad. Yeah.
Laura: Hopes and dreams. We'll deal with the other one later.
Ryan: Hopes, dreams, Childlike glee. Naivety.
Laura: Yeah.
Ryan: Um, a little bit of romance.
Laura: Yeah.
Ryan: You know, secluded Scottish isle.
Laura: Absolutely.
Ryan: Oil rig, helicopters. Danish men. Russian sailors.
Laura: Swedishme men also.
Ryan: Yep. There's some Swedes here as well.
Laura: Nudity.
Ryan: Yeah. Um, and there's some nudity. There's definitely some nudity.
Laura: This film stars Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgrd, my favorite Skarsgrd, Papa of the scarsgard clan, and Krin Cartilage, who we talked about in our naked episode.
Ryan: We did. Yeah. She's acted in other things before, this being one of them.
Laura: That is true. The synopsis of this movie, uh, that I pulled from letterbox is in a small and conservative Scottish village, a woman's paralytic husband convinces her to have extramarital intercourse so that she can tell him about it and give him a reason for living.
Ryan: Wow.
Laura: Don't think that's what this film's about. Um, that's a part of the film.
Ryan: That's a part of the.
Laura: That's a part of the plot.
Ryan: Yesah.
Laura: It's part of the plot, drives the story and the intentions of the characters.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: At some point, actually. No, that isn't. Well, I don't know. Well, I guess we'll talk about it.
Ryan: I guess so. Yeah. I don't know if I'M a massive fan of that synopsis.
Laura: Me either.
Ryan: Mean it's um, something.
Laura: I like the tagline.
Ryan: Something.
Laura: The tagline more succinctly wraps it up in a nice little package.
Ryan: Okay.
Laura: Love is a mighty power.
Ryan: Okayus.
Laura: That's what this film is about. This film is about a woman sacrificing everything she has for the love of her man.
Ryan: Yes, no, that's very true. Yeah, she goes. She goes to some pretty extreme lengths to. Well, it's because she's. She's given. Well, it's like she also thinks that God's speaking to her as well. But that's true. Um, yeah, it feels like a lot of the choices she's making are quite questionable, but I think she doesn't have the mental capacity to comprehend some of the things. She's very childlike and she has a. Ah, yeah. She kind of has a naivety about her. Probably that small island living that she's kind of been stuck with. But there's a lo. Allusions to the fact that um. Like she didn't cope well with her sister's husband's death as well.
Laura: So it's her brother. Her brother passed away. That's her sister in law.
Ryan: Oh, right. Okay, I see. Well then yes, that would be. That would be a shame.
Laura: So she only has left her parents who are, you know, in a religious mess.
Ryan: Yeah, there's a. There's a religious sect that's. There's a. There's a church on the island which is pretty, uh. Uh, yeah, it's pretty. It's very conservative, let's put it that way. They don't even have bells on the church. So they're trying to keep everybody in perpetual
00:05:00
Ryan: darkness. U. Um, because. Yeah, this is uh. Where is it set? It's like. It's near the Shetlands, isn't it? It's in the Isles. The Upper Isles.
Laura: Sky.
Ryan: The Isles.
Laura: Well, I mean at least they filmed in Skye.
Ryan: I think it's just nondescript Scottish island.
Laura: Yes, it's in the north, uh, village. The north of Scotland.
Ryan: You can definitely tell that it's nondescript because the accents are all over the fucking place.
Laura: Ye.
Ryan: Yeah, um. Yeah, yeah.
Laura: It's meant to be the Free Scottish Presbyterian Calvinist Church. So I only know about Calvinism because of how much I love Paul Schrader.
Ryan: Okay.
Laura: Don't ask me any questions about Calvinism.
Ryan: Right, I was just about to, but you caught me.
Laura: Thank you.
Ryan: Before I decided to become too curious.
Laura: Um, this is gonna be weird cause I'm gonna Be like, hey, Ryan, tell us about Lars von Trierier.
Ryan: Calvin Curious.
Laura: Well, I am's me.
Ryan: Oh yeah, I'm Cal.
Laura: Hey, Calvin Curious.
Ryan: Yes. What's that?
Laura: Tell me about Lars von Trier.
Ryan: Cool. Let's just get into his filmography. So Lars von Trierier is a Danish film director. Screenwriter. This isn't going to be the only time that we cover our Lars von Trier. Correct, Correct. We're probably going toa do other ones. Um, and we're not going to tell you. Ah, eventually. So he was a. He was a Danish film director and screenwriter. As in. He was. He is Danish film director and screenwriter.
Laura: He is alive.
Ryan: He started out as a child actor, the late 1960s, if anyone wasn't aware.
Laura: Adorable.
Ryan: Um, but he is most well known for co creating the avant garde filmmaking movement Dogma 95 with filmmaker Thomas Winterberg. Um, the manifesto, or as he. As they like to call it, vows of chastity were rules to create films based on traditional values of story acting in theme while excluding the use of technology or special effects as a way of giving power back to the director as the artist. And I put in commas here. Autur. Um, so yeah, yeah, that's. That is Dogma. That is Dogma 95. Some of you might be. Might be familiar with it, you might not. Um, but there are several different filmmakers, like, outside of the. The, you know, the Dogma. The immediate Dogma 95 filmmakers here that I've already mentioned. Um, you know, Harmony Corinsne, another one. Uh, I'd even put Sean Baker in there as well. Um, but yes, let's have a little look ah, at Lars Vonn Trier's quite extensive filmography.
Laura: Big breath, big breath. Doew it all in one breath all in one.
Ryan: It's cause my posture'terrible uh, so in 1984 we have the element of crime. We have epidemic in 87, we have Europa in 91, the Kingdom Part 1, 1994, Breaking the Waves in 96, the Kingdom Part 2. In 97, the Idiots in 98, Dancer in the Dark in 2000, Dogville 2003, the Five Obstructions 2003, Manderly 2005, the Boss of It all in 2006, Antichrist in 2009, Melancholia 2011, Nyhomaniac, both parts in 2013, the House that Jack Built in 2018 and the Kingdom Exodus in 2022. And unfortunately we kind of have to announce the fact that in 2022 it was reported that he, uh, has been diagnosed with Parkinson's.
Laura: He still has other Stuff in the making, though. He. I was reading that he has like a 10 part series that he wants to make that are all musicals at 10 minute intervals.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: So he's still doing his thing.
Ryan: Took. He took a break from filmmaking to figure out how to deal with the disease and how to work with it. So I think that's kind of what he's doing now.
Laura: That's great.
Ryan: Yeah. So he's still. He's still out there. He's doing there. Um. U. Many would say he's probably a bit of a controversial filmmaker. Um, certainly within the things that he makes, the themes that he's interested in. Um, and certainly in the way that he behaves as a human being. Um, but he is a very interesting character. We can say that much.
Laura: There's a lot of people that defend him and then a lot of people that don't. So I guess it just depends on what kind of day he having.
Ryan: Yes. Or. Yeah, I mean, Bjork comes to mind.
Laura: Oh yeah. She hates him.
Ryan: She can't stand him because she was in Dance Room in the Dark. If you haven't seen. Um, she plays a blind girl. Anyway, um.
Laura: Well then you have Emily Watson in this film who says that he's wonderful.
00:10:00
Ryan: Yeah. So did Kirsten Dunst as well. So there all sor. There'all sorts of things being bandied about. But yeah.
Laura: This is actually the first film in what has been called the goldenear trilogy. So this is the first one following.
Ryan: This is the man who loves these trilogies.
Laura: He does, yeah. Uh, followed by the Idiots and then Dancer in the Dark is the one that wraps that up.
Ryan: Right.
Laura: Basically women who give everything they have for the people that they love. Like for a man.
Ryan: Okay, I see.
Laura: Which usually ends up in death.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: So.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: And this film. This is the very first film that he directed after founding the dog or you know, co founding the Dogma 95 movement. But it doesn't conform to that at all. It has some of the, you know, some of the. What do you call it? Rules.
Ryan: Yes.
Laura: That he wrote of the manifesto.
Ryan: Yes.
Laura: But it has built sets, post dubbed music and computer graphics. So it does not comply to his own rules.
Ryan: Yeah, Uh, I think it's basically kind of m. Yeah. Like bare bones. Like cinema, basically. You know? Um, yeah, there's two. There's too many. Yeah, there's too many effects in this one. So I mean there's CGI bells at the very end. Spoiler alert. Um, which is fairly obvious. But like you say like the soundtrack and stuff like that. The soundtrack'pretty much, uh, relegated to the, to the title cards. Kind of like half painted, half, like computer. Like, like actual real, real time images that are kind of being shown on the screen.
Laura: So, um, yeah, yeah, they were. The chapter titles and headings were a collaboration between Lars von Trier and a Danish artist named Per Kirkby. I want to see. Put an L in there. Kirkbyabe.
Ryan: Where was the L gonna go?
Laura: Kirkleby. That's what I wanted to say.
Ryan: Oh, dear.
Laura: Per Kirkleby.
Ryan: Okay.
Laura: But it's Per Kirkby and apparently, uh, Lars von Trier. Robbie Mueller. Who? The Robbie Mueller?
Ryan: Yes. Who shops'one um, yeah, there can be only one Robie Mueller and there will.
Laura: Be only one caus. He's, uh, he's great. Um, also a photographer went out with them and the producer, they drove around Scotland and traveled around Scotland just taking landscape photos to use for those parts. So let's say the image that they have kind of for the epilogue of the bridge and you've got the beautiful light in the back. That's not real. Yeah, you know, it was a city and so they just took the bridge itself and then imposed other things in the back. So it was just like a nice land landscape. And, uh, yeah, the lighting isn't from any natural source. It's just what they. They just created that lighting effect in the back.
Ryan: Yes.
Laura: So that is the chapter cards. Wow. Very fun.
Ryan: Nice.
Laura: When Lars Vnturer was writing the script, he had considered Girard Desardieu for the role of Jan. But when he got in touch with.
Ryan: Him, so you'nn see Jared Butler and I was goingna be like, fuck, yes.
Laura: Been a baby. He would have been a, like so young.
Ryan: Yeah, either way.
Laura: Yeah, that I don't know. Yeah, he is Scottish. But then that doesn't work with the outsider's point of view. Anyway, anyway, uh, Girard Desardieu was overworked at the time and also, funny enough, uninterested in the script. And at that point he would have been too old to play the role anyway because when he'd finished writing the script, y didn't resemble that character anymore anyway.
Ryan: Okay.
Laura: Also, Helen A. Bonham Carter was cast originally to play Bess.
Ryan: Huh, Interesting.
Laura: She left just before shooting was about to start. So they had to scramble like they were ready to go and she just was like, out of there. And it's reportedly because of the content, because of the sex scenes and she just got cold feet. Okay, let's see then. Von Trier'partner at the time, uh, was helping kind of Go through the tapes, they saw Emily Watson and they, uh, go, this has to be her. She walked into the audition with no makeup on, wild hair, she wasn't wearing any shoes. Like she was trying, you know, she was really going for it. And this is her first film that she'ever done because shed worked in theater and she had just graduated and I think she was working for the Royal Shakespeare Company. And so she'd never done a film before. So the way of. The way that they did this film was kind of. It wouldnt t even just be freeing because she'd never done anything like this before. But there was no marks to hit.
00:15:00
Laura: It was just a completely different thing because everything was handheld. Ye so they just were able to have free movement and they would just film around them and they would just keep going and going and going. So. And it's also very interesting that there's something that happened to Emily Watson in her life that weirdly resembled this film. Not the sex stuff necessarily, but she grew up part of a religious organization, uh, that was influenced by orthodox Hinduism, and it's called the School of Economic Science. Some people have called it a cult.
Ryan: It sounds like one. Yeah, that sounds very suspicious.
Laura: So when they found out about the film, she was cut off from the church and she was told, quote, go on your undignified way.
Ryan: Wow.
Laura: So she was cut off and shut out, just like Bess. And she never told anyone.
Ryan: Wow.
Laura: While they were filming it, like, she just had to go through this. So she had some really real reactions to this film.
Ryan: True to life parallels. Yeah. That's crazy. I mean, to be fair, like, you have to question your own sany if you're joining a church that has that name.
Laura: She grew up in the church. Her parents were a part of the church.
Ryan: She didn't really have Hinduism. Um.
Laura: What? That's what you said, Orthodox Hinduism. It was influenced by that.
Ryan: Right? Okays. Yeah. Just sounds so fake.
Laura: School of Economic Science.
Ryan: Yeah, kind. Kind of. Yeah.
Laura: Course.
Ryan: Sounds weird. Yeah.
Laura: Yeah. She said there'just no safeguards for children. It was just like, not a good space. Uh, I didn't read anything about that.
Ryan: No, don't. Yeah, don't.
Laura: But I didn't dive too deep into the cult stuff.
Ryan: No, I mean, it just. Yeah, it's got all the arm hallmarks or something. That's all they kind of fucked up in. Weird. Yeah.
Laura: I'm sure there's a Netflix documentary on it somewhere about the ses.
Ryan: Yeah. One that starts off really interesting and then just ends on a really dull note. Every single one of those documentaries do.
Laura: Like, we never figured it out.
Ryan: Yesah. It's like, oh, here's a story about the Zodiac Killer. And you're like, they never caught him. But it's like riveting at the beginning. And then it's just fucking boring, like for the last like 20 minutes. And you're just like, God, this is fucking crap. But u. Uh, yeah. Netflix documentaries. Um, um. I don't know. I thought the vicar was Ed Harris when we first saw him. Yeah, I did. I was like, that fucking Ed Harris. Which is kind of like. Yeah, I, uh, mean, it's not. Ed Harris isn't in the movie. That's definitely not the case.
Laura: But could have been how he is now the romantic lead of any movie starring a woman looking for love. Again in her 60s.
Ryan: Yeah. 60 plus. She's the romantic interest, you know. Um, but then you just put a.
Laura: Spin on it and it's like the vicar of this small village church, uh, looking for love.
Ryan: That's fine. Yeah, it's just.
Laura: Yeah, it said Harris.
Ryan: Well, yeah, the vicar in this film is definitely not looking for love. His love is. Is to Jesus and Jesus alone.
Laura: Um, and the rules.
Ryan: And the rules. He loves himself.
Laura: Some ruleses.
Ryan: He loves himself and nice big set of rules. Likes to tell women their business and all sorts. The women can't even go to their own funerals. It's weird. It's very strange.
Laura: It's very stupid. Yeah.
Ryan: Yeah. Well, religion. Yeah.
Laura: Uh, Stellan Skarsgrd, uh, got the script and he'flipping through it. He read the last line and then threw it on the ground and said, yes, this is a love story I can relate to.
Ryan: Okay, interesting.
Laura: He had seen one of Lars von Cheers early films at a film festival. And he goes, when that guy starts working with humans, I want to be a part of it. And theyve worked together a long time. Lars Vonur says, anyime that Ive got, like, anytime I need someone, he can always call on Papa. Scars guard.
Ryan: Wow.
Laura: And hell be there.
Ryan: Thats wild. Yeah, that makes sense.
Laura: I guess they'best friends. I guess they would yell a lot on set, where Lars Von Trier would say something like, oh, you Swedish asshole. Put a smile on your face. And then. And then Skarsgrd would shoot back something like, im smiling. You have to look in my eyes, you stupid cunt. And then they would just yell back and forth. And it would freak everybody out because theyre yelling. And it sounds like theyre being mean, but its just because they love each other.
Ryan: Wow. Okay. I seeeah. I see. Yeah. I wish I could get away with doing things like that, though. That'd be great.
Laura: You just gotta get yourself a puppa scars. Guard on set.
Ryan: What are you doing? Your dumb cunt smile.
Laura: Yeah. He's like, pull the camera closer into my eyes so you can look into my eyes.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: Wow. The look of the film was accomplished because they filmed it. So it's on film. They transferred it to video and then they put it back on film.
Ryan: Huh huh.
Laura: And, uh, the whole thing took five years to make.
Ryan: What you mean the whole film took five years to make?
Laura: I'm assuming this includes writing.
Ryan: Oh, right.
Laura: Production and post production.
Ryan: So I was just like. It took them that long to transfer it to video.
Laura: That was apparently the easy part. The editing and all of that was really easy. For whatever reason because there's so many quick little cuts here and there. But they just mashed all of their favorite parts together.
Ryan: Yeah, that'true.
Laura: They said that Emily Watson'best take was usually her first one. Lars would always use her first take. But then with, uh, Catrin Cartillage, it was always her last one. That was the best one.
Ryan: I see.
Laura: So I don't know.
Ryan: I wonder what the purpose is of taking.
Laura: Oh, you know what? I flipped those. I'm wrong. It was the other way around.
Ryan: What you mean it's the other way around?
Laura: Like Catelyn Cartillagege, her best take first and then Emily's was because she had to warm up into it.
Ryan: Right. I see. Well, I'm interested about the transfer from film to video. Back to film againuse for something. For something that ends up, uh. Because I don't know. I have a thing about the. I don't know if the film looks good to me. It's kind of brown. Yes, it's very brown. It is brow, which always made me wonder. It's like. This is Robbie Muller, though. You know, the man with the really harsh greens and reds and like primary colors. And I'm like, it's just the very. It's a lot of brown.
Laura: Well, maybe you just have to wait for those chapter scenes, the chapter cuts.
Ryan: That's where all the color is.
Laura: It is.
Ryan: Yeah, yeah. All the colors in there. But, um. U. Yeah. I'm not gonna shit on the film too hard.
Laura: I mean, mean, there is more in the beginning. It definitely gets duller as it goes on. And maybe that's for a reason. Because in the very beginning, when they get married, she's wearing that bright white. You have all the colors in the Bar where they're celebrating. And outside it's really nice. And green.
Ryan: Yeah, I guess so.
Laura: And blue. And then it kind of gets more brown. Other than her hot red pants.
Ryan: It does get. Yeah, it does get. Uh, it's maybe just a little too much blood brown. Like sepia toned. It's just too much brown. There's just not enough. It's kind of. It's like. It's like watching ne'maybe like sacrilege. It's kind of like watching the Godfather. Godfather is very brown. So like, it's very black and brown. The Godfather. And this is kind of. That kind of reminds me of that.
Laura: Hmm. Okay. I haven't watched the Godfather in ages.
Ryan: Yeah, it's very brown. It's very brown because it's set in the past, you see.
Laura: Wow. Uh, so that's how, you know.
Ryan: Yeah. If anything's in sepia, it's in the past.
Laura: It's definitely the past.
Ryan: Definitely in the past.
Laura: Oay.
Ryan: So, you know, it's kind of that if it's brown, put it down. It's in the past. So. That's right.
Laura: Okay. Um. One of the influences for this film, or at least a portion of it, was Ingmar bergman'summer with Monica, which is one of the first films where an actor looks right down the camera lens, which, you know, is a big boo boo. Well, it used to be a big boo boo.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: Didnt like it. So while they were filming this film, Lars V. Trier would have Emily Watson. You know, they would do a few takes and he would kind of get what he wanted out of her. And then he would have her look down the lens as often as she wanted to.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: And then he would just kind of pick and choose because she does it a few times.
Ryan: She does.
Laura: She's doing a little wink. Like we'we're going with her on this. On this journey.
Ryan: Yeah. Uh, well, it's like fourth wall breaking stuff, which is kind of liken. Remind you that this is just a film.
Laura: By the way, you know, don't cry too much.
Ryan: Don't get too upset. She's gonna get the shit kicked out of her and she's gonna die horribly. But it's just a film wink.
Laura: She should have just done one last wink while she's on that hospital.
Ryan: Yeah. Just before she passed away, before they threw her into the ocean until. Yeah. And then they start pretty much wank.
Laura: And then that's that.
Ryan: Easy peasy. Um, yeah, it's. Yeah, there's. There's definitely some interesting stuff in Breaking the Waves. It's a very long film though.
Laura: I don't. I don't know. We. We can't remember. I know I was there, but uh, our friend Josh and Katie, who do the uncomfortable brunch here in Orlando, they had a screening of this earlier this year and it was amazing. It was just amazing to see it on the
00:25:00
Laura: screen and you weren't there. I'm remembering that because they put on the subtitles and they were like, Ryan's gonna be very upset because we're putting on the subtitles.
Ryan: That's fucked up. Yeah, that's really fucked up.
Laura: Yeah, I remember that now because I've watched.
Ryan: I've seen the film at least a couple of times and I've definitely sat and watched it with you.
Laura: Yeah.
Ryan: But yeah, I don't. I would remember if the subtitles were on to the point where I would have walked out and just been like n. Uh, it's like. So you're just telling me that you don't understand English? I mean, that's basically what it is. There's no. There's nothing not to understand in the film. For the most. Partk folk are like generic British other than the odd few that are actually Scottish. But they're not that difficult to understand.
Laura: I might actually be mixing that up with another Scottish movie. I'm doing a really bad job today of like getting all my stories straight.
Ryan: But wasn't that, uh. It's not. Is that Lynn Rabsey movie, like could talk about Kevin or something?
Laura: No, it wasn't that one.
Ryan: Well, I remember sweet 16, that Ken Loach movie. And remember that that was a grave injustice because they put. They put subtitles on for that when I watched it on TV'think of it later.
Laura: It was. It was another Scottish film and it's really good. Anyway. Yeah, I'll come up with it later. I'm just. Forgive me.
Ryan: I mean, it's okay. Don't. I don't. It's not like I need to forgive you. It's your friends. Yeahah. The're the ones putting on the subtitles for all the.
Laura: I think maybe you weren't there though. Uh.
Ryan: All the golden old days. Yeah. But I think I went to see Breaking the Waves though.
Laura: Okay.
Ryan: I definitely.
Laura: What was great. It was great there. I love this movie. I loved it when I saw it. I just watched it randomly one day.
Ryan: Mhm.
Laura: And I'd never seen it before then. Getting to see it in the cinema was incredible. It's not as good at home, but. How often are you going to get a screening of this in the cinema, you have to be really lucky.
Ryan: Yeah, well, films are always better in the cinema. I know that's. I know that's not, that's not new news, but yeah, the films are better in the cinema. Um, watching things at home, it's like I watched 300 in the cinema. This is my kind of prime example. I saw 300 in the cinema. Can't watch it home. Just. I just cannot, cannot sit through it at all. It's maybe because it's crap, but it might also be that this, like having it on the cinema screen elevates it somewhat. Um, yeah. Yeah.
Laura: The film basically starts off with Bess getting permission from the church to marry Jan. And we haven't met Jan. Right. And we never know how they meet. We never hear that story. We just know these two people love each other. They're getting married and not a lot of people know who he is. Her sister in law doesn't really know him.
Ryan: Her parents don't even know him.
Laura: No, really. Um, Emily Watson was asked in an interview, did you guys kind of come up with your backstory? How did you meet? You know, because, you know, actors have. Theyll come up with a whole history.
Ryan: About themselves and depending on the director that I like it or theyll throw it in the bin.
Laura: Well, she might not have said anything, but she is a theater actor. Im sure she can.
Ryan: You know, she probably worked on it a little bit.
Laura: Yeah, so she did. She came up with a story about how they met. And she said, my theory is that Bess was working in a hotel bar, cleaning or serving or something. Jan came in and she sort of had this pact with God that said if a man comes in and walks over to that window and picks up that chair and sits on it, then orders this particular pint, then touches the wall, you know, like a whole sequence of events that this is a sign from God saying, this is the man in your life. Jan walked in and did all those things. And so that was her sign from God. And so she just went and kind of bowled him over.
Ryan: Huh. Huh. Okaye.
Laura: That is her theory on how they met.
Ryan: Well, I'm glad it's her theory. I would have hated to see it in the actual.
Laura: Well, no, you won't. No, you don't need to see it.
Ryan: Okay, good. Thank you.
Laura: Caus. It's not canon or anything. That's just what she thinks.
Ryan: That's just what she.
Laura: She's allowed to come up with her own stories.
Ryan: She's allowed to have her Own thoughts. Yes, I understand.
Laura: Yeah. Because it just goes straight into okay, we'll let you marry this outsider.
Ryan: Yes.
Laura: And then they get married.
Ryan: Okay. Yeah. No, I mean it starts off pretty quickly. Um, yeah. For a film that's two and a half hours. Yes.
Laura: The really shoots you in.
Ryan: Yeah, they really kind of shoot you into the fact that these people are in love and they're getting married. Um, which basically means that, um. It'yeahus. It's kind of like the deer hunter.
Laura: Oh boy.
Ryan: Except like half of that movie is just the wedding. Um, but, uh, no, what we. What we obviously are treaty to is because we have the. You know, we're giving a roundabout view of how the island effectively works,
00:30:00
Ryan: how it's structured and stuff. Um, and how how few rights the women on this island actually have.
Laura: Um, can't talk in church. Can't go to funerals.
Ryan: Can't go to the funerals. No. Um, that's kind of. It kind of really.
Laura: I mean you just gotta be a good girl.
Ryan: They're pretty. Yeah.
Laura: Follow the rules.
Ryan: They're pretty stringent rules. Um, but this kind of leads us into the. Into the dick scene. U. Um.
Laura: Oh, yeah, sure.
Ryan: Because I don't think there's. That there's not much else to say. They get married and there's.
Laura: I'GONNA tell you about the bells.
Ryan: There's a wedding party I didn't get to. We are gonna talk about the bells. Don't worry.
Laura: Okay, sure.
Ryan: But, uh, she tries to shag him in the bog first.
Laura: She does.
Ryan: And she does.
Laura: She absolutely does.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: He wants her to have something more romantic and she just wants to get right down to it.
Ryan: Pretty much, yeah. Straight in. They kissing. That's it. You know.
Laura: You know, she can't wait.
Ryan: Well, effectively like they. They whole. The beginnings of their relationship we're gonna go back to the Dixonene is that it's just constant shagging, just shagging everywhere. Yan, the shag man and I decided to call him.
Laura: Yeah. Um, well, that's the beginning of a relationship and they weren't able to do any of that because of her religion. So she wasn't allowed to have premarital sex.
Ryan: I mean it makes m sense.
Laura: And they didn't get to see each other very often because what is it? Every few months, three months, he gets a week off or something.
Ryan: Yeah, something like that.
Laura: He's gone for a really long time.
Ryan: Well, he works on the oil rigs.
Laura: Yeah.
Ryan: You know, very dangerous.
Laura: He's well traveled. He's uh, been with a lot of Women. He's been all over the place.
Ryan: He's a bit of a suave, debonair. Ah, oil man.
Laura: Yeah.
Ryan: Yeah. But, uh, the dick scenes, once we finally get. We get out of the bog and we get into the bedroom.
Laura: Yes.
Ryan: We get out of the lavae and into the sheets.
Laura: Um, we or re just outside on top of the sheets. So this is about 18 minutes.
Ryan: We've all done this.
Laura: 38 seconds it. Oh, have a little dance. 18 minutes, 38 seconds into this film.
Ryan: You shake your penis around.
Laura: I've done that.
Ryan: Yeah, you shake it around enough to make it slap off your belly. Yeah, yeah, he does that.
Laura: He sure does.
Ryan: Yeah. It'like yeah, just hitting off your legs and off your belly.
Laura: And it's kind of funny. There's no music and he's putting on a little show. She is. I know that they'd had sex.
Ryan: Well, here's the thing. Like, there's no music in the dramatic parts of the film. No, there's zero. Um, all the music is from is like choice selections of, uh, popular tracks from the 70s.
Laura: The soundtracks, incredible, though.
Ryan: It'pretty good.
Laura: H. Jethro Talull, T. Rex, Leonndon Cohen, Elton Jonathan, Lizzie, David Bowie. Like, it's great.
Ryan: Yeah. Yeah. Very 70s, though. And if you didn't already guess it was the 70s, just had to look at the guy s sideburn. U they are.
Laura: Yeah. That's pretty much the only thing you.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: You could tell.
Ryan: That's the only way you could tell. Yeah, that and the bell bombs, like all that stuff. Yeah. Sheepskin jacket, but U um. Yes. No, they're in the bedroom and he's had a little dance and he's sitting down. He's like on the bed. And, um. Yeah, we basically see. We just see everything.
Laura: He's. He's fully unclothed and she has not taken any of her clothes off yet. And I think that this just, uh, preoital really kind of shows how unworldly Bess is. She's had sex with this man in the toilet, but she's never seen him naked. She's never seen a man naked. She's never seen a penis before in her life. And so she has this man and it's just kind of sweet and really funny just how she's know. She touches his chest down to his belly and she doesn't know what to do.
Ryan: No.
Laura: And so he takes his hand and he puts it right on top of his junk and she just giggles, you know, and she kind of nods, like inapproval of his penis.
Ryan: Yes.
Laura: And originally in the script, this wedding night scene was a lot more traditional how it was originally written, with Bess being the one getting undressed.
Ryan: Okay.
Laura: And Emily Watson let Lars von Trier know that she was uncomfortable. And Lars agreed that the scene wasnt even working and it was dull. So he said, emily, you sit down there and Stellan, take your clothes off. And there we have it. And they discussed Stellelan being nude and how like, oh, hes Swedish. He loves being naked. So it's like not even a thing at all for him.
Ryan: I mean, I guess.
Laura: I mean, this is
00:35:00
Laura: the very first of several films that Papa Skars guards in when he's. Where he gets naked.
Ryan: Yeah, no, he's not shy. No, he's not being shy. He's got eight children. You were telling me.
Laura: Eight children.
Ryan: Goddamn kids.
Laura: And only fairly within the last 10 years has he decided to get a vasectomy.
Ryan: Because eight was enough.
Laura: Eight was enough.
Ryan: Yeah. I don't know. Well, that's why he has to act so much. He'goa it's go gota keep up.
Laura: Kids are all adult.
Ryan: I mean, okay, maybe, maybe actors. He's also put them to work as well, you know. You know, got that Skars guard charm.
Laura: Scars guard charm.
Ryan: Yeah, Scarsgd charm. But u. Uh, yeah, no, that kind of, that kind of covers the dick scene. Because basically the film is just a gradual dissension into despair and darkness.
Laura: Right. Uh, one more thing to say about this scene. I just think that it is an incredibly sweet and funny scene, just. And she had to, you know, go back in her mind as an actor and remember the first time you see a naked man and how ridiculous the whole thing is. Shes just giggling like crazy. And I just think its'a really tender moment in what ends up becoming quite tragic, but also very weirdly romantic in the most fucked up of ways.
Ryan: Cue the dissension into darkness. And it starts off innocently enough with him going back to the rig and she's not able to deal with it.
Laura: Uh, yeah.
Ryan: And then, you know, he has an accident. They fear that he's been paralyzed and he kind of technically has been with very, very little hope of a, uh, recovery. But just one little thing that she, he says to her is that he wants her to go find, like, go find basically go find men to have sex with, to report back to him, to basically give him a, uh, reason to live.
Laura: He doesn't want her to be alone. He doesn't want her to feel lonely and wants to have her have sexual comfort in her life.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: And it's not. I think he says it a few times. It's not just, oh, my brain is full of fluid and blood and um, I'm crazy. It's like, no, no, my penis doesn't work. I need you out there. I need you to have pleasures.
Ryan: Yes.
Laura: For me to live like this will help me live.
Ryan: Yes.
Laura: And she takes things literally.
Ryan: She does. To the point where she thinks that in doing it, it is making him better.
Laura: Yeahus. She asks God when she talks to God in her adorable voice. And you know, he. Because she asks for him back. She asks God to bring him back from the rig.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: And he comes back, but he's freaking paralyzed. And she thinks it's totally her fault.
Ryan: Mhm.
Laura: So then it's just a series of her speaking to God and thinking that everything she does has a direct impact on Jan's life.
Ryan: Yes.
Laura: And weirdly like, it kind of does.
Ryan: It does. I guess, you know, because of the way films can be. It's more interesting if the things that she says actually come true. Because there is a. There is a fantastical element to the film, um, that isn't really kind of fully explored until like the last section of the movie.
Laura: The magical realism.
Ryan: The magical realism. But the thing is, is that u. Um. In doing what she's doing, she's effectively kind of putting herself in harm's way and tarnishing her image to the rest of the people in the village.
Laura: Yeah.
Ryan: On the island. So she's not doing herself any favors. To the point where her behavior so erratic that they're like, we need to commit her pretty much. Um, we just can't do it. I mean's she's even hounded by a bunch of kids who call her a tart and throw stones at her and.
Laura: Stuff like for a really, really long time.
Ryan: It's pretty. Yeah. I mean K. Kids in Scotland are pretty hard. They're pretty horrible.
Laura: Yeah.
Ryan: You know.
Laura: Oh, there's one. The one penis scene that we missed. We can cover it really quick.
Ryan: Well, I was gonna say before he got. Before he got paralyzed. What you're basically
00:40:00
Ryan: shown is. Is that like on the rig is there's just a whole bunch of shenanigans and tom foolery. They, they keep on dropping a radio. They're having showers every day and there's dick swinging because they're all naked. And they seemingly are the only. They're the only three people working on the rigs. You don't really see anybody else.
Laura: Well, that's because it's the best friend crew. They're all three best friends.
Ryan: That's where a bit of, like, music would come in super handy, like some 70s harpsichord or something.
Laura: But they had the music. It was on the radio.
Ryan: It was ra. Well, they kept on dropping the fucking radio.
Laura: Yeah. Because they were smoking a doobie. They were smoking doobies and swinging their wieners around.
Ryan: That was dick swinging.
Laura: 40 minutes and 27 seconds into the film.
Ryan: But it's so brief that it's barely, barely bears mentioning for the most part.
Laura: Well, he beed it, therefore we mention it.
Ryan: He did. But, uh, as the film descends further and further into darkness, I was thinking.
Laura: About how online I saw someone call someone's butt a meat seat. And it's so weird.
Ryan: I mean, it's the meaty part of your body and it's also how you sit down. Yes.
Laura: Meetat seat.
Ryan: Yeah. If you got junk in the trunk, you're just ready to go, you know? But, uh, yes, let's just keep on talking about the dissension. Further into darkness.
Laura: It gets to a point where Bess was having regular conversations with God and he's answering her, you know, through her, in her way. I don'I.
Ryan: Don't know.
Laura: This film does say that God exists. So I'm just saying, I mean, I.
Ryan: Uh, will kind of put it out there is that it's not definitive proof that God actually exists, but in the.
Laura: World of this film, God does exist.
Ryan: And he likes to play sick jokes.
Laura: He does.
Ryan: He does.
Laura: Like on his most devoted and loving, um, followers of his Word.
Ryan: Yes. Yes. Yeah, I think. Yeah, he does like to. Yeah, he does like to do sick jokes. It's actually pretty. Yeah, it's actually pretty actress. Yeah.
Laura: Of humor.
Ryan: Yeah. Because that, that's effectively what gods are, is they're jokerseah. Really. They like a little bit of. They like a little bit of joking around.
Laura: It's pretty horrible. When she stops hearing from God, um, and getting guidance, and when he finally comes back, it's during the worst possible moment. Like, she's going to put herself in so much danger, which will lead spoilers to her demise.
Ryan: Yes. Yes, she.
Laura: Based on a conversation she had with God.
Ryan: Yeah. Yeah. Which is kind of. Yeah. Which is kind of terrible. It's kind of awful. Yeah, it's kind of awful.
Laura: I mean, those guys on the big ship were really scary. Really, really scary.
Ryan: I'm assuming they were Russian sailors. You know, like, they were pretty bad. They were pretty bad boys.
Laura: And the main one that cuts her up.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: He's in other Things. And he's scary in other things as well.
Ryan: Yeah, he's got scaty face. Like he's always had that, I think. I don't know. Trying to recognize him from other things that I've seen him in.
Laura: Yeah.
Ryan: Uh, you know, because he's got that face where you're just. It's like Peter Storm may, like, you just find them in things. Like he's like a little surprise Peter Stormy. You know what I'm talking about, right?
Laura: I know exactly. Peter Stormbe. Because he was in a lot of episodes of Tim and Eric.
Ryan: Yeah. And then he'll just like show up in a bad boys movie and you're just like, o fuck. Yeah, it's Peter Storm Air. But yeah, uh, yeah, it's kind of. Kind of like that. Kind of like that. But, uh, yeah, no, his name'udo Kir.
Laura: Yeah, he's a German actor.
Ryan: Okay. Um, he's not in any of the John Wicks, is he?
Laura: He's in Blade.
Ryan: Oh, he's in Blade. Yeah, he's the one that they watch die on the mountaintop on the. On the coastal. The coastal cliff. And when the sun comes up. Because he's a vampire.
Laura: He was in Johnny Mnemonic.
Ryan: Okay. Not a great movie, but, Avie, there.
Laura: Has to be something that's more than.
Ryan: I like Johnny Mnemonic. The one with the robot dolphin. Yeah, I like that movie's actually. Okay.
Laura: He's uncredited in Suspiria, the original. Hm.
Ryan: Hmm. Okay.
Laura: This is. I thought something was really goingna jump out at me like that guy. Definitely.
Ryan: He sounds like he's a little bit of a cheeky surprise when he just kind of comes into a movie. So.
Laura: Armageddon, End of days.
Ryan: Okay, yes, that makes sense.
Laura: He's in most of Lars von Trier'movies as well.
Ryan: Well, yeah.
00:45:00
Ryan: Okay, well, that makes sense. He's got. Well, he's got a face for it. He's got a face for it. Is he in the house that Jack Built?
Laura: Any. I think that's the one. He's not in shit and the idiots. He's not in. Okay, but he's in Dancer in the Dark.
Ryan: Okay. Okay, yeah. Um. Okay.
Laura: Okay. Yeah. That. That gave me nothing.
Ryan: Wow. That led to nowhere.
Laura: Yeah, sorry about that.
Ryan: Great. Anyway, uh, yeah, Poor Bestss, she dies and she succumbs to her injuries and everyone's a little bit upset.
Laura: The last thing. The last thing is that she is praying because Jan is on the verge of death. So everything that happens is where she's asking God and she's praying that he gets up and walks again because he keeps having to have surgery. And then he's getting better and then he gets worse. But you know, it coincides with her asking God for him to get better. So when she fucks some random dude, he suddenly is a little bit better. And then if she doesn't have sex with a guy, he gets worse. And this is where he's like dying because she thinks it's because she didn't have sex with those creepy guys on the boat. Yeah, but that's obviously not true. But then she goes back to the boat, hence she dies. Because they beat the absolute living life out of her.
Ryan: Yeah, pretty much. Pretty much.
Laura: The saddest part of this movie is where she wants to see Janaw and she knows that it's not going well for her. She's probably going toa die and she's asking is y Jan better? Is he getting better? And her sister in law is like, no. She goes, oh wow, I really, really thought he was going toa get better. Really. Maybe what I was doing didn't work. And it's just right before she dies, she basically, in my opinion, loses faith in God altogether.
Ryan: Yes. Yeah. No.
Laura: Which is the worst for her. Yeah, that's such a bummer because then he does get better.
Ryan: He does get better. Like he just kind of did work. Yeah, he appears in crutches like after she's died, like after the um, like the inquest basically. Because they have to bring someone in to. Because she had a doctor who you she was talking to and stuff like that and that she also tried to have sex with.
Laura: But uh, well, it was all part of God's plan.
Ryan: He just appears and you're like oh scarscds. Like he's walking around, he's very upset. That was a very quick recovery. Like immediately after she's gone he's like on crutches.
Laura: That was God's plan. That's what I'm saying.
Ryan: Oh yeah, it's pretty rough. It's uh. No, it's okay.
Laura: It's a sick joke.
Ryan: Yeah, well, they, the women can't go to the funeral so he hatches a plan to steal her body.
Laura: Well, because they were gonna bury her and say that she's condemned to hell for her sins because she's a sinner, so buried. But no, that's not gonna work.
Ryan: No, no, it's not going to work. It's not going to work. It's not going to work.
Laura: Do you want to try that again?
Ryan: It's not going to work.
Laura: No, it's not going to work. But yeah, uh, it ends up being a beautiful little ending. I know that there's controversy with all of lar'venures films for the most part, you know, but I think this has a happy ending in its own weird way.
Ryan: It does, Yeah. I would say it's a happy ending.
Laura: You know, uh, they don't get to be together. But at least she.
Ryan: She got her bells.
Laura: She got her bells.
Ryan: She got her bells. They got their bells.
Laura: Sous are we going back to the bels? Do I get to tell you about the bels?
Ryan: Yeah, you can go back to the bales.
Laura: So when they got married, one of Jan's friends comes out and says to the priest, ring the bells. Then where's the wedding bells?
Ryan: Mhm.
Laura: And they go, well, we don't have bells in this church. And then it kind of pans up and you see the little.
Ryan: Where the bells would be with the.
Laura: Bills would be if there were bells. And it's empty. But apparently that church did have a bell.
Ryan: Okay.
Laura: But they wanted, you know, the crew wanted to have it removed, but the congregation, the people who worked for the church are like, it's old. Don't do that. Don't touch the bells. And they freaked outeah. So they used a mirror to reflect the sky so it looked as though it was empty. Uh, but it became difficult because you know how the weather is in Scotlandeah. Like you could have gorgeous weather on one side, like to the east, and then to the west. It looks like it's murder.
Ryan: Yes.
Laura: So they had to just wait for a day for the mguys to match up and then film that there.
Ryan: Okay, I got you. I got you.
Laura: There you go. The bells. This film won a
00:50:00
Laura: few awards. Probably the most notable one is the Grand Prix at Cannes in 1996. Emily Watson was probably the most nominated person out of this film, which is not surprising.
Ryan: It makes sense. Yeah.
Laura: She was nominated for best Actress at the baftas, but she lost to Brendta.
Ryan: Bleen for Secrets and Lies.
Laura: That's righteah. And she was also nominated at the Academy Awards, but lost to. Not Brenda Bleen. But who would you guess that she lost to?
Ryan: We use this 96.
Laura: Yes. It's, um, kind of a dark comedy you might not get. It's kind of. It's a famous movie, obviously.
Ryan: It's not like Sally Field or something.
Laura: No, no, it's Francis McDorman.
Ryan: Oh, for. Ah, Fargo.
Laura: Mhm.
Ryan: Yeah. There you go. Yeah, that was the big winner of that year, though, so at least in.
Laura: The U.S. secrets and lies is amazing.
Ryan: It is. Yeah. But Fargo, Fargo is pretty good.
Laura: Yeah, Fargo'great I can watch Fargo anytime.
Ryan: Yeah, no, there's nothing wrong with Fargo.
Laura: Um, and, uh, this film was rated number 72 on Variety's 100 Greatest Films of All Time list in 2022.
Ryan: Huh. There you go.
Laura: Yeah.
Ryan: Huh.
Laura: Boom.
Ryan: Um, what was number one?
Laura: Uh, if you just keep talking, I'll find out. I didn't write that down.
Ryan: Wonder what it could be. Greatest films of all time.
Laura: Yeah. What's the best one?
Ryan: Because it could be like. Could be Tokyo Story, could be Citizen Kane, could be Casablanca, you know, all of those basic boy films as, uh. Well, to be honest, Tokyo Story is amazing. And Casablanc is also very, very good. Suit'kane I can take her. Leave it. It's a very good technical marvel.
Laura: I think I found out what it was and it's.
Ryan: Is it the Godfather?
Laura: No.
Ryan: What is it?
Laura: It's a horror movie.
Ryan: The Exorcist?
Laura: No.
Ryan: The fuck? Well, what the fuck would it be? What is Halloween the most?
Laura: Maybe I, uh, don't want to see groundbreaking necessarily.
Ryan: Oh, God, it's not.
Laura: It is for its time. 1960 horror movie.
Ryan: Your laptop'taken off. Um, 1960, a horror movie.
Laura: Yeah.
Ryan: What night. The Living Dead.
Laura: Psycho U. Number one best film of all time.
Ryan: Okay.
Laura: And the runner up is wizard of Oz. Ugh, I hate wizard of Oz.
Ryan: What's wrong? It's perfect.
Laura: Pulp Fiction number five.
Ryan: Oh, boy.
Laura: Wow. Okay. Well, I was excited that it was on this list and now I'm looking at the list and I'm like me.
Ryan: Is there any good ones?
Laura: Mhm.
Ryan: Like in the top 10, was that Saving Private Ryan?
Laura: Yeah. O Go was 10. Does everyone want to hear what the top 10 is? I could tell you since we're here.
Ryan: I don't know. It was King Kong in the top 10.
Laura: No. Okay. Number one is psycho.
Ryan: Right. Okay.
Laura: Followed by the wizard of Oz.
Ryan: Uh-huh.
Laura: The Godfather.
Ryan: Okay.
Laura: Citizen Kane.
Ryan: Yeah, I thought so.
Laura: Pulp Fiction. Seven Samurai.
Ryan: Yeah, that's fine. Yeah.
Laura: 2001 A Space Odyssey.
Ryan: Okay.
Laura: It's a Wonderful Life comes in at number eight.
Ryan: Yeah, that's al right. That's a good movie.
Laura: All About Eve is number nine.
Ryan: Okay.
Laura: Wrapping up. Top ten is Saving Private Ryan.
Ryan: Yeah, same Private Ryans. Good for like the first 20 minutes and then once it gets to the rest of the story. I'm not really that interested in Saving Private Ryan, but u. Uh, yeah. Okay.
Laura: Yeah, it's Fine. Wonder ifful Lord of the Rings is on this list.
Ryan: It should be. But's not in the top 10, obviously, so. Well, it should be.
Laura: May. It should be.
Ryan: Fellowship should be in there.
Laura: You know, it's not. It's not. I don't trust this list anymore. But I still like this movie and that's fine. Would you like to tell me your ratings? The ratings time?
Ryan: Um, U. So I'm just gonna. I'll give it five for visibility in context. You will probably tell me as to why.
Laura: Um, I'll tell you why I think it's five.
Ryan: Yeah, probably because I'll probably agree with you. Um. U o. Uh, yeah, no, it does. It does make sense. And it's a pivotal moment for that character. She's. Yeah, she gets to see the. The form of a naked man for the first time. You know, so it's kind of, you know, there's a bit, bit, bit of playfulness. It's a bit fun, but it's also pretty much fully on display and she gets. She gets very naked throughout the course of the film as well.
Laura: So.
Ryan: Yeah, you're not, you're never. There's never an imbalance
00:55:00
Ryan: in any way, shape or form.
Laura: No. It is always a little bit more nerve wracking when she is naked because you know that it is not necessarily what she wants. And she's doing it in order to try and make sure that Jan survives because that's what she thinks is goingna do the trick.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: So she's always, uh, crying or screaming or. Yes.
Ryan: There's nothing sexier than a crying, screaming.
Laura: Naked woman just getting pumped behind a trailer.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: In the dirt. It's rough stuff in our little pants.
Ryan: Yes. There's rough stuff.
Laura: That's sad. I'll go visibility in context. I'm also going five stars. There's pro. There's definitely more female nudity in this. Not too much.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: But it makes sense for why it's there. But in terms of the male nudity, I almost. I wish that it was originally written for Stelen Skarsgard to be the one that gets naked during the wedding scene. I would have liked it better just to. You put it all out there. You know what you want to do. Ca because it works better that way. Especially considering Bess'character you know, like she's a horn dog. Like she's so excited about getting that wiener. She is so excited. But she's also still, uh, like you were saying, very childlike in her mentality. And she's so sheltered. Mhm so yeah, I can't imagine her wanting to take all of her clothes off in front of him when she, you know, it. They didn't take their clothes off when they had sex the first time, so Im'm not surprised. But I do like that scene a lot and I think it's really sweet. And it's a very tender moment between these two people where she kind of gets to let loose and feel comfortable and safe because yaw'a really good guy. Everyone in this film is good. It's kind of a weird thing, you.
Ryan: Know, suddenly for Lars v. Trierers.
Laura: Ye thing like no one's really a villain necessarily. I mean, and you don't want to just be simple and put it all on like the church.
Ryan: Yeah. Ah.
Laura: Because they're just following their rules. They might not be right.
Ryan: There's. Yeah, there's more.
Laura: They're not bad.
Ryan: Yeah. There's more complexity there than I think.
Laura: Yeah, for sure. But I love that scene. I think it's great. And the visibility is there. The context is 100%. And I, uh, love Papa Scarsribd. Big fan. And you're gonna go ahead and give me your film rating.
Ryan: Four. Yeah, four. I like it. I. It's not that I find it difficult to sit through. I'm just. I'm kind of just. I don't. I just don't like it as much as. As some of his other things. It's uh. Yeah, it's just also just a little bit too long for me as well. It's really interesting character study. I do like watching Emily Watson and stuff. Like eat up everything.
Laura: Yeah.
Ryan: But at the same time it's like. It's like. Yeah, I just see my attention drifting away sometimes. And also I just. I don't think the film to me personally looks remarkable. It's a really good, well acted piece of filmmaking. It just. It's. Yeah, it's just a little bit uninspiring at points. Just the way it looks and stuff like that. You know, it's very brown and I do have an issue with things being incredibly brown. So, um. Yeah, it gets. It gets four stars from me.
Laura: Okay. I'm gonna give it five. I love this movie. I love it a lot. Five stars.
Ryan: Laura doesn't see color.
Laura: I think that it was shot really interestingly. Uh, Stellen Skarsgd was talking about how it was shot and Im no cinematographer. I dont know what Im even talking about in terms of that. I just know what looks good to my eyes. Right. But he said that they shot it in such a way to where it just feels like. And you can feel that when youre watching the movie that it seems like youre like a voyeur in a way. Like you. It's positioned in such a way to where you are kind of looking down at these images of these people of this situation. And you know, like we're. Let's say Bess's face isn't over kind of to the side, it's in the middle. So you're just really staring straight on down at the charactersah and it seems almost intrusive. And you can get that as well because it's all handheld and they're running around all the time and they're in everyone's face and it's just chaos. It's like a fucked up documentary of sadness and pain.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: And love.
Ryan: It's definitely painful, but I don't know.
Laura: There'S something about it that. Emily Wattson is incredible. Skarsgrd is amazing. Uh, like catchuring, uh, Cartilage
01:00:00
Laura: is amazing. Everyone's great and it's just a really, uh, interesting movie to watch. And it's really funny at times, but just mostly heartbreaking.
Ryan: Yeah, it's mostly heartbreaking, but yeah, I don't think, I don't dislike it. Uh, it's just. It's not, it's not something I can just like whack on and watch.
Laura: No. You know, it's like the day I'm like, you know what? I think I'm gonna watch Dogville today. Yikes.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: Than.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: Oh, and did I ever tell you that the movie I was thinking about where they put the subtitles on was Rat Caatchcher. It was the Lynn Ramsay movie. Rat Catcher.
Ryan: Oh, the other one. The other Lynn.
Laura: Rat Ca. The other Lynn Ramsay that our friends did an uncomfortable brunch.
Ryan: Okay. Um, yeah, that's pretty appalling. If they put subtit.
Laura: That movie is amazing. I love that movie. It is horrible. Anyway.
Ryan: Wow. Ringing endorsement from.
Laura: Uh, well, we're in the dark stages of the year, I guess. We wanted, uh, to do a really horrible holiday season. There's no wieners in ratcatchers. So we're not going to talk about it.
Ryan: At least on this podcast. At least in the next one there is a wiener. But it's uh, are probably worse. It'snna make you feel terrible the next.
Laura: Especially the things we have in store if we can execute them.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: Isnna be pretty bad.
Ryan: Yeah. It's gonna be incredibly disturbing.
Laura: Yeah.
Ryan: Yeah.
Laura: Uh, love it.
Ryan: Hopefully the season is treating you well. You've had your Thanksgiving dinners, you've had Tom'sgiving.
Laura: Now it's time to.
Ryan: Now it's time to munch on some fucking. Yeah. Some real steak.
Laura: What? Some sad steak.
Ryan: Some suck fucking sick steak.
Laura: Wow, great. So glad to meet have you have us and you join us. You're always joining us, Ryan.
Ryan: Luckily I fortunately am here because I am the technical advisor for this podcast.
Laura: I did not come up with a fun way to call these two movies that we're doing for the holiday season.
Ryan: But uh, Dissension into Darkness. Okay, there you go.
Laura: The did the blacker the better. And on that note, coming to you from the big ship. O.
Ryan: The big ship? That's the best you can come up with?
Laura: That's where she goes at the end of the movie, she's like, can you take me the big ship? And he goes again? Are you sure? Oh yeah. I know what I'm doing.
Ryan: Shame.
Laura: M. Mhm. Hmm. I have been. Laura.
Ryan: Ryan.
Laura: Um. Ho ho. Hold. Hold on. Till next time. See you then.
Ryan: Hope. Get this. Fucking Jesus.
Laura: Wow, I thought you had that figured out.
Ryan: Holy shit. No, I don't. I don't have this figured out. Obviously. What a fucking spare fuck.
Laura: Years and years of us doing this podcast.
Ryan: Only a couple of years. Let's not, let's not get, uh, uh, let's not get too excited here.
01:03:17