Broken (2013)

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

There isn't a poor performance in Broken. It's excellent example of just how good British films can be when they are done right. It's simple and also so complicated, as life often is. It's a gripping social drama.Eloise Laurence who plays Skunk is faultless. She's a natural. I 'm not easily impressed, but this was a brilliant performance. The rest of the cast is also excellent. Notably Tim Roth and Cillian Murphy.If you enjoy Brit flicks in the mold of Mike Leigh this is a must see. You won't be disappointed.

Broken adapted from a novel and directed by Rufus Norris better known for his theatre work. The film is set in a London cul de sac and is a slice of life story with plenty of acknowledgements to the classic novel, 'To kill a Mockingbird.'Eloise Laurence plays Skunk, a cheery 11 year old tomboy who sees her neighbour (Rory Kinnear) severely beat up another neighbour, a mentally challenged teenager (Robert Emms) who he thinks raped his daughter and made her pregnant. The accusation is false as all of Kinner's daughters are malevolent and rough and its not the only accusation of rape they make in the movie.Skunk's dad is a kindly lawyer (Tim Roth) who is respected by many of the other neighbours. They have an au pair who is in a relationship with schoolteacher (Cillian Murphy.) Skunk also starts a budding relationship with another boy at the same time she faces bullying at high school and when Emms returns to the estate after his beating still traumatised, events take a nasty turn.Norris brings the best of his actors as he coaxes both Murphy and Roth back from Hollywood and he definitely gets the most out of the young actors. The script is poor and fights against the film. The Kinnear character should had been thrown in prison for the first beating never mind been allowed to do it again the second time. It does not matter if a traumatized boy does not want to press charges he was in no such state to make a rational decision.The drama with the on/off relationship with the au pair and the teacher as well as the au-pair later getting close to Skunk's dad was rather humdrum.What I disliked the most was people getting bullied, beaten up and no effective action being taken against the perpetrators even if witnessed by teachers for example. Of course the title of the film wants to depict a Broken Britain, damaged people who look for those rays of goodness but this film lacks focus and a cutting edge.

I don't know why so many people rated this with a high score. This was plainly and simply boring. I kept on waiting and hoping that the movie will eventually take off but sad to say it never did. The movie was so dragging and have i said it was boring?!?!If you're into intelligent, slow-paced, and sad movies then this movie is for you. So to those people who might be influenced by other reviews saying that this is a great movie then please listen to me when i say that this is a waste of your time. There was some light in the movie since the first scene and last scene was pretty OK. Those were the only good parts of the movie because the rest of it was really boring. The movie's name speaks for itself. Its really broken. I will save your time and be honest with you to say that this movie is not worth watching...ever.

'Broken' is an excellent example of just how good British drama films/series can be when they are done right. The film is straight to the point and develops at a good pace with lots of different things going on between the various characters.There is a lot of characters in this film (3 different families who are all neighbours) and we see how their lives are affected by various going ons. This film really doesn't hold back, some of the scenes and subjects will be uncomfortable for some viewers. I really didn't like the Oswald family but the story really wouldn't have worked without them.I really liked how parts of this film where done, we would see something happen unexpectedly and then it would flashback to show the build up to it from a different perspective. The story linked together really well. It is very engaging although some parts are unrealistic.The acting in this film was nothing short of superb from everyone. There was a lot of familiar faces but the star of the show has to be Eloise Laurence who made her acting debut in the lead role as Skunk.It's a shame this film probably won't get the recognition it deserves due to it being relatively unheard of. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good dram film, you won't be disappointed.8/10.