One entry in the Oscars’ foreign-language category this year, “The Broken Circle Breakdown,”ย actually has significant chunks in English … but only because its extensive score consists entirely of Americana-style music standards faithfully sung by the principal characters.
Who’d have guessed that the second great bluegrass movie ever released would come from Belgium?
Maybe the question should be: “O Brother,”ย what hast thou begat?
“‘O Brother Where Art Thou?’ย conquered the world for bluegrass music,” acknowledged the star and co-writer of “Broken Circle,”ย Johan Heldenbergh, after a Wrap awards-series screening Monday night at the Landmark. He added that he’d “be very honored” to cross paths with T Bone Burnett, the earlier movie’s music producer, as Burnett touts “Inside Llewyn Davis”ย on the awards circuit this season, “because he was one of the reasons why I started loving bluegrass.”