The Broken (Horrorfest 09) (V)
| release date | March 31 2009 |
| studio | After Dark Films |
| director | Sean Ellis |
| writer | Lene Bausager |
| starring | Lena Headey, Richard Jenkins, Melvil Poupaud, Ulrich Thomsen, Michelle Duncan, Asier Newman |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
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One of the few decent ones of this years batch is a more supernatural psychological thriller that has a great cast
but with a plot that at times becomes confusing (perhaps only to me) but does have some really good
interesting tense moments that provide a little bit more interesting entertainment than the others have. but overall
it’s still not a big enough punch in my opinion to create something great, if you were a fan of one of the previous films to die
for called “The Abandoned” (which for some reason got pretty solid reviews) you might like “The Broken”
Though commendable in its restraint and its disciplined approach to maintaining an oppressively creepy atmosphere, Sean Ellis’ sophomore effort proves unfortunately to be sorely devoid of invention. Lena Headey is reliable as always but the tremendous Richard Jenkins is insultingly wasted whilst all the other characters are one dimensional place holders. The Broken is a huge step up on every level for Ellis after the risible Cashback though, maybe when his stylistic chops are teamed with material that doesn’t resemble a particularly predictable Twilight Zone episode he might even prove to be capable of something special. This barrage of style over content is regrettably not.
Everywhere I go, I see the same big BUT, and I have to agree with it. The Broken is pretty beautiful, visceral and interesting, with an excellent cast… but the ending makes no sense at all. Though this movie does mirror horror better than “Mirrors” did, it’s possibly less horrific, and more of a mind game than that movie. The ending for both movies is practically the same, to my disbelief. I was really happy up till the last 15, and that’s where The Broken officially lost me, and will lose everyone. And that is a real shame.
I guess I am the only here I am confused totally….what is the purpose of theses people changing??…..Also the Abandoned” I understood but is the reason why in this movie also the Asian woman changed too so it was not only the family so again I don;t get it.
This is a super creepy flick although its a knock off the Body snatcher concept. It kinda reminded me of Invasion paired with They. It’s an intriguing concept. That our reflections kinda bust through mirrors kill us and take over our lives. It has a cool plot twist towards the end. the acting is strong and the film is really scary I actually had nightmares about it. good stuff, check it out.
I just can’t write a good review on this movie. I felt so bored in the movie that it sped up and I had no idea what happened. I did like the last several minutes though. I liked the concept, acting, effects, but the movie was just to slow! Now I gave it a fair rating but with more action and little less waling around London and this could have been a much better movie. It’s watchable and maybe even one you might buy. But that’s if you like mysteries.
other than the shower death scene I couldn’t really get into this one at all. A real snoozefest
The Broken is an interesting movie. Its very much a slow burn where you get lots of build up for the one grand event which is semi-pleasing. Sadly you are able to guess the ending 20 minutes into the movie. The acting is rock solid for all the actors including the lead played by Lena Headey. With Lena as the lead actress I didn’t find myself yawning or being bored, even through the slow going film. The choice of no music/score for most of the movie was a effective one. The silence of the room and footsteps gave the movie an effect that a musical score couldn’t accomplish. The director, Sean Ellis seems to enjoy toying with you throughout the movie. Many times you get the shots lined up with the mirror waiting for the person to show up from behind but he never does. Its fun to look for but importantly it helps keep tension throughout the film. There is little violence or gore in The Broken so for the slasher/gore fans, this movie wont deliver. The ending to Broken is disappointing since you see it coming from the beginning AND them not explaining the most imperative question about the film is a total cop-out. That being said a slow burning movie with a decent story and with zero answers? Might be worth a rental on rainy Saturday afternoon.
Though, some parts are really scary and chilling, it was somewhat predictable and had a HORRIBLE ending. Though overall it was chilling and startling and some points and had some even CULT CLASSIC scenes. The shower scene with the Brother’s girlfriend is probably one of the scariest moments I’ve ever seen in a movie.
Big surprise: great story, great actors, amazing suspense
I really had high hopes for this film, with such a great cast and director. It didn’t totally disappoint, though it wasn’t exactly successful. Many of the cinematic conventions seemed to be borrowed from greats like Hitchcock, which is never a bad thing, it was wonderfully tense and dramatic, and the score was beautiful. Aside from the shower scene and dream sequence(s) I have a hard time classifying it as a horror film though, and the ending left a lot to be desired. Since it had so many positive aspects, perhaps if the plot had been better developed and the ending refined, it would have really been a great film.
I don’t understand why everyone who is taken over by the mirror people understand that they are mirror people but the main character actually thinks that she is the real person and is scared of all of the others… This movie makes no sense and is not worth watching.
I don’t think i’ve ever seen a movie gotten shit on as much as this film and i think it’s so cruel and over the top. The film is fine there is far far worse out there than this. It’s perfectly compotent and entertaining, yes i accept the critique that it’s a rip-off of Invasion of the Bodysnatchers but that doesn’t destroy the film i still enjoyed it.
Lena Headey gave a perfectly good performance. The direction was superb and beautifully shot and felt like an arthouse movie. The only thing that was a downer for the film was the ending which was so blatently obvious and if you didn’t know the ending coming then you don’t deserve to be watching film’s, but screw that i still enjoyed the film, so quick capsule review “shitty ending but still a good movie”
I have to say that the main reason I watched this film was because I am a fan of Lena Headley, she is one tough and sexy lady in The Sarah Connor Chronicles, she has an icy beauty which resonates in this film. This is a slow moving dark beast which left me thinking about it’s story arc for days after watching… the cinematography is brilliant, particularly the slow-mo car crash (great on blue ray – all those shards of glass and I even watched a rivet fly past) and the birds eye views of London – expensive to shoot – the city looks scarily mega and sprawling… The acting is restrained, there is a genuine warmth at the father’s surprise birthday – after that tho it’s all a bit dark and sombre.
This isn’t “Nightmare on Elm Street”, it moves along, slowly but surely, its more a thriller than a horror, although there is enough horror, the bathroom scene is quite gruesome and the protagonists flashbacks are quite visceral, but it’s more psychological and very layered…
Things happen on the periphery. There is a suggestion of much bigger things at work in this film but that really is up to your own iagination, the aerial shots of London seem to hint at this… I have to say I liked the ending… a slow unwinding twist and it’s not happy. Lena Headey’s character seems to speak volumes with just a slight twist of her head… I love her. So if you love “Hostel” don’t bother, if you like a chilly dark yarn on a Sunday night, that will make you wonder what’s behind the mirror then do. Candy Man, Candy Man, Candy Man.
Lena Heady vs Lena Heady.
This was one of the 8 films to die for at the Afterdark Horrorfest III, directed and written by little know Sean Ellis who previously worked on Cashback, which is also worth a look, in which he proved his artistic flair, he happens to be a dying breed in the film world a director and writer combined. Broken is a strange creature it genre jumps throughout the film, it’s not quite
a horror and not quite a thriller and not quite a mystery. So what the hell is it? Well the answer to that is that it is a intriguing piece of British cinema, which in itself is a dying breed. Lena Heady, TV’s Sarah Connor, plays Gina McVey a radiologist who lives a
relatively normal and simplistic life, don’t they all?, who sees herself driving a car and being a normal person decides to follow herself (?) to her (?) appartment and finds a picture of her and her father (!), on the way back from this
investigation obviously quite shocked by the discovery she crashes in a spectacular car crash scene that is remarkably
beautiful after this accident she looses parts of her memory, she then starts to think her boyfriend Stefan, played by
Melvil Poupaud, is someone else entirely and decides to investigate unraveling a very dark and disturbing reality. Heady
gives a spectacular performance, which I fear may be ignored by many, as a woman whose reality is slowly falling apart, she
portrays the character wonderfully real and does not let the complex material phase her portrayal of Gina’s emotional
decline. The supporting cast also gives believable performances, which again will most likely be ignored due to the material
of the film itself, and the scripting of the characters has been done very well but a little too well as the film seems to
rely on this which is all good but it makes the jumps and horror of the script feel undermined. The slow pace will not suit everyone some people will find themselves being bored about 20-30 minutes in but those who stick around will either be satisfied or highly confused and by default decide they hate it in fear of being seen inferior intellectually. The use
of colour is another strong point of the film, the fantastic use of good/evil imagery was nothing short of brilliant and it conjures gothic imagery akin to Edgar Allen Poe, who is quoted at the beginning.
Skip to the End
7.5/10
It’s not an amazingly spectacular psychological film nor is it an awful film, it’s a good portrayal of a woman’s struggle
to come to terms with her new reality. Poe would have been proud.
This should be retitled The Boring–paced painstakingly slow and not enough substance in the storyline to care past the boredom. Many broken mirrors, women in bathrooms, and continuous replays of a car accident–that seriously makes up most of the first hour+–and only one chilling scene of note. The ending isn’t worth the wait, either. Well made and good acting, but not worth a rental unless you need to catch some z’s.
I liked it. I don’t think the movie is as bad as people review it. There was times when I was scared! Ending was a little confusing for me but once I got the concept it was an allright movie:)
It’s easy to become jaded with all of the independent, straight-to-video horror movies that were at some point involved in some sort of “fest”. Sadly, that stereotype is generally true, but this film really stands out. Maybe it’s because its competition is so weak that it’s easy to stand out, but I think it’s more than that. What if you, and everyone you love, were slowly being replaced, and no one noticed? Take the second act of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and extend it into a full movie and you get this. More information here:
http://thewolfmancometh.com/2011/07/30/the-broken-2008/
This movie made me so uneasy in all the right ways.