Broken

2012 1h 31m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 301

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Three suburban English families' lives intertwine with tragic consequences.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Tim Roth
Archie
Eloise Laurence
Skunk
Cillian Murphy
Mike Kiernan
Zana Marjanović
Kasia
Robert Emms
Rick Buckley
Rory Kinnear
Bob Oswald
Rosalie Kosky
Susan Oswald
Bill Milner
Jed

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rufus Norris
Writers: Mark O'Rowe
Languages: English
Countries: France, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rufus Norris, shot by Rob Hardy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Electric Wave Bureau. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Victoria Boydell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Tim Roth and Eloise Laurence and Cillian Murphy carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1441940 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rufus Norris directs. Rob Hardy behind the camera. Electric Wave Bureau scores. Victoria Boydell cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 14 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: France, United Kingdom.
3Directed by Rufus Norris, shot by Rob Hardy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Electric Wave Bureau. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Victoria Boydell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Tim Roth and Eloise Laurence and Cillian Murphy carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt1441940 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Rob Hardy
Original score: Electric Wave Bureau
Editing: Victoria Boydell
Production design: Kave Quinn
Costume design: Jane Petrie
Makeup / hair: Fae Hammond
VFX supervisor: Sheila Wickens
Stunt coordinator: James O'Donnell
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Broken (2012)

Awards

British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor
British Independent Film Award for Best British Independent Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Rufus Norris

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2017-01-14
★ 9/10
Broken: Past Particle Of Break. Broken is directed by Rufus Norris and adapted to screenplay by Mark O'Rowe from Daniel Clay's novel. It stars Tim Roth, Eloise Laurence, Robert Emms, Rory Kinnear, Faye Daveney and Cillian Murphy. Music is by Electric Wave Bureau and cinematography by Rob Hardy. Theatre and Opera director Rufus Norris turns his hand to feature film, choosing for his debut a cunning slice of British miserabilism and knowing humour. Story is based in North London and primarily centres on a young girl affectionately known as Skunk! She witnesses a sickening act of violence in the cul de sac where she lives, from here the lives of the residents unfold in a number of identifiable ways. Thematically there's much going on, such observations on life's dilemmas from both a child and parenting point of view are superbly played out by the cast. It would have been easy for the makers to lean too heavy on the melodrama, or perform as if it's a headline torn straight from one of Britain's sensationalistic tabloids, but it's played with earthy realism, helped no end by the fulcrum setting of a residential cul de sac that on the surface looks normal, so therefore believable. But of course what lies behind a neighbour's door is rarely all glint and gold. The concurrent theme of violence, illness, heartbreak, grief, so basically life's strifes, gnaws away at the senses, but this is delicately balanced with much love and charm also on show, be it devotion to one's children, or the innocence of youth - puppy love/whimsy/ignorance/inquisitive leanings et al - this picture jabs at the heart in more ways than one. Norris and his team also have a nifty style of filming and scoring, very much putting us in the various frames of this story. It all builds to what in truth is a very crammed last quarter of film, because if ever there was a case for a much longer running time then this is a classic example. But it's just a niggle, and not enough to derail what is a moving, funny and crafty slice of Britannia. Yes! Even if the daring ending has proved divisive. 9/10
CinemaSerf2024-09-05
★ 7/10
"Skunk" (Eloise Laurence/Lily James) lives with her dad "Archie" (Tim Roth) and older brother in what can only be described as the suburban cul-de-sac from hell. Indeed, our own introduction to their street sees neighbour "Bob" (Rory Kinnear) beat up "Rick" (Robert Emms) because he thinks this lad is some kind of pervert. As the story unravels, we realise that "Skunk" has a crush on her hunky schoolmaster "Mr. Kiernan" (Cillian Murphy) who in turn has a bit of a crush on "Kasia" (Zan Marjanovic). The toxicity of this small community is further augmented by an odious young bully and just goes to show how much damage lies can do when unchallenged or supported by societal assumptions. The timelines flash about the place a bit, so you need to concentrate as the threads begin to inter-twine, but as they do we are presented with a really strong performance from the young Laurence and a couple of sparing, but quite potent, efforts from both Kinnear and Emms - whose character assumes greater importance as this drama evolves. It's not an easy watch, and though not overly graphic it still hits the ground running and sustains a steady pace as these increasingly volatile characters struggle to find some sort of peace. True, maybe some of the plot-lines are a touch far-fetched and overly contrived to heighten the drama, but it's still well worth a watch as a glimpse of dysfunctional family life where emotions run high.