The Broken

I have yet to write a review on Sean Ellis' debut, Cashback, because it left such a strong impression on me. I consider it one of the rare 10/10 movies I have had the joy to experience and so it was with trepidation that I awaited his next one. I would lie if I said it met my lofty expectations but it turns out to be better than it is credited for. The premise is simple. Radiologist Gina MvVey believes she sees herself, someone exactly like her, driving her car on a street. From that point on, the movie is a slow-paced but suspenseful journey to find out what is going on.

There are very few jump-out-of-your-seats attempts in the movie and we are far from MTV-style editing and pacing here. The dialogs are equally restrained. A lot in this movie is implicit, from the various characters and relationships to the story unfolding. The performances here are solid but discreet. Nobody is going to wow you but you do believe those actors. Ellis may not be the best director when it comes to guiding his actors but as far as building mood and capturing great moments, he is one of the better of his generation. The Broken has a lot of static shots and slow camera work that tells a lot more than the script could, some credit goes to Angus Hudson, who had worked with Ellis on Cashback as well. A few of the shots are extremely memorable and haunting. Composer Guy Farley, who was responsible for the amazing music in Ellis' previous movie is also back. This time, the music's role is a lot more subdued but he contributes here and there and especially to the final scene.

Most negative comments I have read seem to concern the derivative nature of the story. The Broken does indeed explore a theme that has been visited before, because it is a frightening proposition. It is in fact a primal fear of human beings. That the idea has been touched upon before is thus only natural. The treatment of the idea is also a bit derivative, I must confess. That is something I am less willing to forgive and thus I subtracted one from my final score. The film has also been criticized for the lack of an explanation. This is something I completely disagree for, for many reasons. Firstly, everything you need to know about The Broken is clearly laid out. In fact, the "twist" at the end is rather predictable and even hinted at early in the movie. To have a strong denouement doesn't mean to solve the puzzles but instead to build a great ride and an ending with impact. Why or how this particular phenomenon is happening is totally irrelevant and the lack of a 3rd arc where we are bombarded with some kind of mystical Mumbo Jumbo is not only refreshing but prevents the movie from being ruined like so many movies with supernatural/mystery overtones. We know exactly what is going on with this movie, we just don't know why. Audiences have been spoon-fed some "whys" for so long on their movies that it seems some just can't live without it.

Where I have had a bit of a problem is with the director not exploring secondary characters as much as I hoped for. I sense some missed opportunities there. Clearly, Ellis was more concerned with the journey of Gina McVey and quickly set up the ensemble around her to move on with the plot but I can't help but feel this prevents the last arc from being as strong as it could have been. The last scene with her and her father, the last scene with her and her brother... those could probably have turned out better with some fleshing out of the story. There are also a few moments I felt were a bit awkward. Such as a scene where Gina tries to recover a photograph in the subway, which just doesn't feel right from a storytelling point of view.

But those are nitpicks. I have greatly enjoyed The Broken. It is suspenseful and beautiful. I demand a lot from the director of Cashback, which I consider a gem. I feel Ellis has not let me down, even though I suspect it could have been even better. This isn't a slasher movie or teen horror. It doesn't follow the growing trend of injecting humor, irony and self-derision in horror movies either. In fact, it may not even be considered a horror movie by today's standards. In tone and pacing, it is more similar to a Shyamalan or a Kiyoshi Kurosawa movie. It has a strong, haunting, primal thematic and it lets us dwell on it for the whole 90 minutes.

And it contains enough memorable scenes for us to be permeated by its mood and dwell on it long after the credits have rolled.

They say that a broken mirror is sure to cast seven years of bad luck (or bad sex, as a character quips early on) to those who break it, and although such a concept is deeply rooted in mystic superstition, there nevertheless remains an eerie, foreboding core to its warning. Perhaps coincidentally however, is the much more tangible, but inherently linked concept of the doppelgänger, who is said to appear either as an omen of sickness or death. Indeed, both share common principles with the mirror even producing doppelgänger's of a metaphysical sense, but both also share the undeniable clause for weariness or suspicion. Of course, in our daily lives, thinking with clear mind-frames and perspectives, such concepts are folly best left to those with padded walls. Yet, brought into the domain of film, there still remains a sense of wonder about them that allow the extra-dimensional nature of the medium to truly shine.

The Broken, which comes from up and coming writer/director Sean Ellis who last year wooed me with the surreal and abstract romance Cashback, not only indulges in these somewhat supernatural concepts tenfold, but does so in ways that the horror movie does so best. Taking a leaf from the genre's forefathers David Lynch and Alfred Hitchcock, with just a little nod here and there to the American Romantic macabre writer Edgar Allan Poe, Ellis here crafts a feature which borders on the surreal once more, this time on a much more subversive and subtle level. If you had told me that this young film-maker would go on to make a horror movie the following year after Cashback, I would have laughed it off—and yet, I would have had to choke back that laughter after catching a glimpse of what is offered here.

It all takes place in the busy city of London, as a family settles down for a small celebration of the father's birthday and retirement. During a warm, friendly dinner, the conversation is abruptly drawn to a silence when a mirror suddenly crashes down onto the floor, much to the shock—and then bemused laughter—of those there to witness. From here on in however, the laughter is far and few between from those family members. The Broken dabbles in and out of the idea that behind each of those family members' mirrors, lies an arguable alternate reality, or at least, person (read, doppelgänger), who is given form and begins to walk their own reality as if it was their own. Of course, it's certainly an unsettling idea that someone could infiltrate your own existence and somehow seek to replace you, and you can bet Ellis does well to capitalise on that sense of threat and claustrophobia.

Rather than stoop to genre clichés and derivatives however, Ellis subscribes instead to the roots of the more artistically-driven horror movie focusing largely on atmosphere and suspense with plenty of mystery in tow. By approximation, The Broken can not possibly have had any more than perhaps two or three hundred lines of dialogue inherent to its story, and so the amount of detail then that is pushed upon creating a slow-moving, but very intricate analysis of tone and eerie aesthetic, is potent. The result is a horror movie that doesn't necessarily feel like one that is out to scare you, but rather, unsettle you—make your mind race, and question the reality of what is going on within the characters' minds. Indeed, as opposed to simply delivering cheap "boo" moments, Ellis opts to get behind enemy lines, and scare from within, albeit cerebrally.

What is most interesting about The Broken however -as is usually the case with the best examples the genre has to offer- is not how Ellis manages to unsettle you, but how he gets you thinking. Behind the cold exterior and horror-movie façade of The Broken lays an intriguing allegory that sets about detailing the death of a person, or persons, through self-inflicted means. Be sure that I am not referring to suicide, or anything of a literal, substantial meaning, but purely of a psychological, or metaphysical sense. In the world of The Broken, central character Gina (Lina Headey) is on the verge of committing to a relationship; her father (Richard Jenkins) facing old age and retirement—it could be argued that many of the people within The Broken's story are facing the points in their lives where they symbolically end, with said doppelgänger therefore representing that very shift from life to death by their own hands. From this perspective, the ending to the movie attains a very poignant, and clear message.

Whether or not the viewer takes such a message away from what Ellis has to say here however, is beside the point. There still remains plenty of value of The Broken's story with or without the added benefit of subtext or allegorical meaning. The movie does have its fair share of problems most of which reside within the extremely slow-paced second act, which perhaps throws in a few too many indulgent scenes here and there with dubious characterisation; but such flaws are minor in comparison to those that we as audiences are so accustomed to when being treated to the average modern horror fare. Overall, The Broken is nevertheless a fine psychological analysis of ourselves as human beings, and how easy that barrier from sanity to insanity can be broken, with or without the accompanying seven years of misfortune. It's compelling, gripping and actually manages to scare while simultaneously tickling the intellect—now when's the last time a horror movie did that? - A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)

But not really bad. The main thing/problem about this movie is, that you have seen it before. And much better (most of the times). Don't get me wrong, it begins strong and even has a few shocking/shivering scenes towards the end, but most won't even bother paying attention to those scenes.

Although the actors try really hard, they can't compensate for some script/logic flaws, that almost every other horror/thriller movie like this has. You could name-check the movies ripped off (aka paying tribute to) here, but that will only as a movie knowledge game between you and your friends. Predictable, but still decent, you might have better things to do with your time ...

I've been reading a lot of the comments on this film and thought I should throw in my ten penneth as I think a lot of them are being too overly critical. Yes, some of the comments are justified - at times the plot does seem to have been neglected, it is slow, and yes, the conclusion doesn't really explain much. But I don't know if all these thing (except maybe the plot) are all bad.

What this film did for me was to relay an uneasy and compelling atmosphere, something which I think is lacking in most modern horror films. This was created by the slow unending shots which seemed to have annoyed a lot of people. I admit at times I was thinking 'come on, get on with it' but perhaps that was due to the discomfort I felt.

If I was to explain to somebody the premise of this movie, and what I thought it was about, I must admit that it would sound ludicrous. But sometimes good films don't need plausibility, nor do they need everything tied up in the end so the viewer can leave it behind knowing exactly what was what.

I had an emotional reaction to this film, and this is becoming more and more rare for me in modern films. Also, it is worth noting that the acting was exceptional and very understated. Richard Jenkins is becoming godlike in his abilities and he once again doesn't disappoint here.

I would recommend this to people. It is far from perfect. But for a slow-paced psychological and mysterious celluloid experience, it pushes a lot of the right buttons.

Having read many of the comments here, I'm surprised that no one has recognized this as basically an overlong remake of a Twilight Zone episode from 1960 called "Mirror Image," starring Vera Miles. Rod Serling did a much better job of creating an effective spooky tale in 24 minutes than Sean Ellis did in 88 minutes with this tedious snooze. A short piece can be effective with a mysterious and unexplained ending, but in a feature film, there should be a bit more substance and the story should make sense. Sadly, substance and sense are two things missing from "The Broken." Yes, it has some moments, but they are not enough to justify your time. Some further observations: although this is clearly a contemporary story, not one character in the movie has a cellphone! And even though a car accident is the event that gets the story going, there is never any reference to an insurance company, to the person who was driving the other car, or to the police who would have been required to do a report. My advice: skip this bore and watch the original instead!