Broken

Except for a few details I was pleasantly surprised and very satisfied with the film. Not even the calmer scenes were boring, the acting performances were convincing, and the characters were written in such a believable way that I wished some of them a painful accident (right, Sunrise?). (05/01/2019)

I won't speculate on how much Broken deviates from the ideas of a social drama and how many of its elements exceed it. Rather, I will say that this drama from the urban periphery emotionally struck me to the core. I believed in the conflicts, motivations, and crises of these characters, and the actors convinced me of their high qualities without exception. Eloise Laurence is a talent that would be a great loss not to utilize, and I hope to see her in a few more films even as an adult. I would disagree with labeling the film as a melodrama, as these are not emotions that are cheaply squeezed out. Rufus Norris convinced me, with his imaginative direction, clever use of flashbacks, and dosing of information, that it is worth following his future work. Overall impression: 90%. (21/02/2018)

A gritty drama that doesn't seem like one at first glance. It has an interesting use of flashbacks, which can certainly be considered innovative. The peaks of this film come completely unexpectedly, which makes their impact on you even greater. Here once again you will feel how disgusting life can be and that it doesn't cuddle with anyone. There's nothing fair here, there's nothing we can rely on. We just live and it works out. Somehow. Disturbing, yet brilliant. (06/12/2013)

One of the best new dramas I’ve seen this year. I loved how beams of light, hope and good mood flash from time to time through the concentrated clouds of depression. (22/10/2013)

And so what, even though it had too many characters? That they are unmarried and we don't fully know their feelings and personalities? Maybe it was just meant to be that way. Broken offers mini-stories of three families that are somehow always connected, everything is related to everything else, and every now and then someone else pops in, maybe in the form of Cilliana Murphy. At first, it didn't make any revealing or captivating impression on me. It seemed too average, like something that received awards. This drama doesn't crush the psyche too much, doesn't play on the viewer's emotions, rather it plays with the shades of this gray world and reveals them one by one. Sometimes optimism shines through, then we find ourselves back in turbulent waters. There is a bit of every bad thing in it. It's as if Norris is feeding us with a small spoon. Moreover, the film pulsates a lot mainly thanks to nice flashbacks to the recent past and there are a lot of great actors, so I recommend it. (05/01/2014)