This post inaugurates what will hopefully be a regular Screengrab feature: two writers debating a specific moment in a great film. I'm calling it Face/Off until someone thinks of something better; sorry. In the meantime, here are Paul Clark and Scott Renshaw on the last shot of Breaking the Waves. Guys, have fun, but please don't take each others' faces. . . off. — ed.
Paul: I should preface by saying that I think Lars Von Trier is one of the world’s greatest filmmakers, and Breaking the Waves is one of his finest films. But I've never liked the final shot of the movie — the bells, the God's-eye view, all that. It bugs me for two reasons. First, it betrays the style of the film, which aside from this shot is a ground-level, documentary-style drama. Second, it ruptures the ambiguous approach the film takes toward Bess. I realize I’m in the minority here; Scott, your thoughts?
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