The Broken

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Horrorphile - March 2009

The Broken

March 27th 2009 04:20

The Broken (2009) is a superb supernatural horror movie with excellent production values; director of photography Angus Hudson won Best Cinematography at Sitges Horror and Fantasy Festival, acting (small core cast), score and sound effects, editing, and screenwriting and directing from Sean Ellis are all top-notch. I was lucky enough to see the movie on the big screen at the third annual A Night of Horror international film festival opening night here in Sydney. Not sure if it will receive a theatrical release, but I’m definitely going to be purchasing my own copy on DVD (or Blu-ray, but I still need to buy a Blu-ray player).

Gina McVey (Lena Headey) is a radiologist. While at a surprise birthday dinner for her father John (Richard Jenkins), and joined by boyfriend Stefan (Melvil Poupaud) and her brother Daniel (Asier Newman) and his girlfriend Kate (Michelle Duncan), the large dining room mirror suddenly and inexplicably splinters apart and crashes to the ground. It’s a shock to everyone, but they all laugh about it, joking about seven years bad luck.

The Broken Michelle Duncan, Aiser Newman, Richard Jenkins, Lena Headey, and Melvil Poupaud

The mirror's point of view: Kate (Michelle Duncan), Daniel (Aiser Newman), John (Riahrd Jenkins), Gina (Lena Headey) and Stefan (Mevil Poupaud)

A day or so later whilst Gina is at work an unidentifiable stiletto-clad woman exits a hospital toilet, stepping over shattered mirror fragments, and walks past Gina. The stranger’s silhouette and walk bears a striking similarity to Gina. Later after work Gina is in a phone booth making a call when she spots her own red Cherokee Jeep drive past with a woman who looks uncannily like herself at the wheel. Mystified, yet deeply intrigued, she follows the car on foot as it turns into an apartment building car park. She secretly follows the female driver into an apartment, and is shocked and confused when she sees a framed photograph of herself with her father in the hallway.

Gina's relationship with mirrors becomes difficult ...

Gina is subsequently involved in a horrendous head-on collision after leaving the apartment building in the Jeep. She survives, but is severely concussed and cannot remember the accident. Back at Stefan’s apartment she begins to notice things are not right. Stefan is acting strangely, and the memory fragments of the bizarre incident which lead to the car crash is haunting her. Things take a turn for the worse when Gina suspects that although Stefan looks like her boyfriend he’s not the same person and he intends to harm her.

... As does her father's

The Broken uses the core element of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1958); those around us are no longer the same people having been replaced by “alien” imposters, but is original in that it suggests that our mirror reflections are in fact malevolent “demons” kept in check, anxious to be released into the real world to wreak havoc. I haven't seen Alejandre Aja's Mirrors (2008) yet, but apparently is a similar premise.

Kate has an unwelcome visitor

What I really liked about Sean Ellis’s screenplay is that it didn’t attempt to explain the rationale behind these flesh and blood specters. The realm of darkness behind the mirrors is glimpsed at but never wholly revealed, nor is the reasoning behind why the McVey extended family are subjected to such a living nightmare. In this respect The Broken was more like a European-styled horror movie (which is probably why Sean Ellis sought French co-financing).

The Broken Melvil Poupaud and Lena Headey

Stefan becomes some kind of monster in Gina's dreams, or is it reality?

It’s a richly atmospheric movie that relies heavily on suspense and the creeping unknown, a deep-rooted dread permeates the movie from the get-go. The prowling camerawork and fantastic use of music and natural sounds that take on an other-worldly effect resonate terrifically. Lena Headey commands the screen and delivers arguably her best performance to date; her anxiety and confusion is palpable.

The irrefutable truth about demons

There is only one scene of visceral horror (although the expertly-staged car-crash – along with Tarantino’s one in Death Proof – is the best I’ve seen), which involves a shower and a horrific gagging, but the movie is incredibly powerful in conjuring a truly nightmarish scenario. We’ve all shared that weird sensation of wondering if perhaps someone we know (often it’s our parents when we’re very young) is not the person we thought they were (author Nicolas Fisk did it brilliantly with his kidult horror-sf novel Grinny). The Broken plays on the mythology of doppelgängers; doubles of ourselves glimpsed as a premonition to our own deaths. In The Broken the doppelgängers are actively involved in making sure the real you doesn’t survive for long after their presence in the real world is established. Andrzej Zulawski's brilliant Possession (1981) came to mind.

The ending of The Broken is not a typical “Hollywood” rounded ending, which was also satisfying. It sets itself up as if for a sequel, but one comes away from the movie knowing there will be no continuation. The Broken remains fragmented; the malevolence lingering on, masked by the evil veneer of a bloodshot stare and a dark smirk obscured by the harsh light of an indifferent sun.

The Facts in the Case of Mister Hollow movie poster

As part of the A Night of Horror programme two excellent short films played before The Broken: a low-budget, but perfectly engineered Aussie creep-out called Corrections (2008), directed by Bob Franklin, with Brooke Satchwell as a nervous young woman in a doctor’s waiting room who suspects there are dodgy things going on behind closed doors. The weird receptionist only fuels her anxiety. Less is more worked very well for this.

The second short was from Rodrigo Gudino, the editor and founder of renowned Canadian horror print and online magazine Rue Morgue, and co-director Vincent Marcone. The Facts in the Case of Mister Hollow (2008) was an ingenious “analysis” of a Gothic-styled 1930s monochrome photograph; a tableaux of figures in a forest setting beside a car. Using state of the art digital manipulation the camera zoomed in and around the photograph revealing much more than what originally met the eye. What looked relatively innocuous was in fact supernaturally and diabolically dangerous.

Here's a Euro-styled trailer for The Broken:

And here's the teaser for The Facts in the Case of Mister Hollow:

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

10 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Damo

March 27th 2009 08:30

Bryn

I like your review of this film but the trailer just confuses me. If it is a good film then I would say that the trailer is letting it down.

Comment by Morgan Bell

March 27th 2009 10:12

Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk

Lena Headey is so beautiful . . . that is the best movie poster ive seen in a long time, it really draws you in

Comment by Bryn

March 27th 2009 11:49

Horrorphile

Damo, the trailer isn't a conventional trailer; but it does capture an essence. The movie is much more.

Morgan, I agree, Lena's beauty resonates vividly. But she has presence as well, she moves beautifully, and her acting nuances are all perfectly timed. Few female actors can command on screen the way she does.

Comment by Jason King

March 27th 2009 12:33

Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness

Oooo - this looks cool - will def try and find a way to view it. You were spot on with Let The Right One In so can't say no to this one. Cool review!!

Comment by Natalina

March 28th 2009 02:30

My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog

This looks sooo cool! I have to admit I skipped over it a few times because I thought it was Keira Knightly in the picture...I cannot stand her. Now that I see it closer I am relieved. Lena Headey is phenomenal. I feel guilty for thinking she was Keira. In my defense, I was only looking at a thumbnail shot at the time!

Comment by Bryn

March 28th 2009 03:13

Horrorphile

Jason, yes, this should tickle your fancy ...

Natalina, I can't stand Keira, so with you on that one. Lena, on the other hand is awesome.

Comment by JohnDoe

April 20th 2009 21:27

Film & TV on DVD

Sounds intriguing, count me in...as usual i only read the first paragraph and had to stop there for fear of spoil, but if you dig it i probably will too.

Comment by Bryn

April 21st 2009 02:42

Horrorphile

Yeah, I need to put a proper advance warning up re: spoilers ... I just can't help myself, it's too difficult not to discuss the entire movie.

Comment by JohnDoe

April 21st 2009 03:48

Film & TV on DVD

You know I try to never to include spoilers in my reviews,, BUT it does limit my options extremely and is harder to entice people to watch favorites.

Comment by Bryn

April 21st 2009 04:14

Horrorphile

Precisely.
I visited a US movie blog recently and the host had a disclaimer warning that all movies discussed were very likely to contain plot points and spoilers and for readers to read on at own risk. I like that angle and want to include it somewhere on my own blog. I appreciate not including spoilers, but like you said, it restricts the way I want to approach film critique, which is essentially tackling the whole movie, regardless.
Therein lies The Rub.

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