Movie review: Broken

The nicely naive world view of an 11-year-old girl living in suburban London is nastily changed when she witnesses a violent incident near her home.

The Broken

MOVIE REVIEW: In the tension-riddled British drama Broken, the nicely naive world view of an 11-year-old girl (Eloise Laurence) living in suburban London is nastily changed when she witnesses a violent incident near her home.

The aftershocks intensify when her father (Tim Roth) finds himself reluctantly involved in a damaging neighbourhood dispute that has already escalated well beyond repair.

First-time director Rufus Norris uses his considerable experience on the UK stage scene to the benefit of a rock-solid ensemble cast here. Each player keeps their performances natural, unmannered and right in sync with the menacing themes laced through the screenplay.

In his first British film in many years, Roth controls the dramatic tone of Broken with modest authority. It's almost as if he turned his character down a notch or two for the sake of newcomer Laurence as his daughter.

After a shaky start, she turns out to be quite a discovery. We will be seeing a lot more of her in years to come.

For the most part, this is a solid, emotionally layered drama that connects with the viewer strongly. The film almost devolves into soap opera during its final act, then wisely thinks better of it.

> Broken [MA15+]
Director: Rufus Norris (feature debut)
Starring: Tim Roth, Eloise Laurence, Cillian Murphy, Lily James, Bill Milner, Rory Kinnear.
Rating: 3/5

"Disturbing the pieces"