Broken English

2026 1h 39m EN

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 5

DocumentaryMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A survivor, provocateur and true original, Marianne has spent more than six decades defying expectations — releasing over thirty-five albums while constantly reinventing herself. Made with her full involvement, Broken English is an intimate and unflinching exploration of a fractured yet unbreakable life shaped by fame, creativity and relentless public scrutiny.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Marianne Faithfull
Self
Tilda Swinton
The Overseer
George MacKay
The Record Keeper
Calvin Demba
The Replacement
Zawe Ashton
The Media Archivist
Sophia Di Martino
The Researcher
Suki Waterhouse
Self
Beth Orton
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jane Pollard
Writers: Jane Pollard, Iain Forsyth, Ian Martin
Languages: English
Countries: 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 this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jane Pollard, shot by Daniel Landin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Rob Ellis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Marianne Faithfull and Tilda Swinton and George MacKay carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt37660889 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 5 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jane Pollard directs. Daniel Landin behind the camera. Rob Ellis scores. Luke Clayton Thompson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
2Directed by Jane Pollard, shot by Daniel Landin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Rob Ellis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Luke Clayton Thompson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Marianne Faithfull and Tilda Swinton and George MacKay carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt37660889 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 5 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Daniel Landin
Original score: Rob Ellis
Editing: Luke Clayton Thompson
Production design: Alison Dominitz
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Broken English (2026)

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Jane Pollard

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-03-27
★ 7/10
I wasn’t quite sure of the necessity for the almost Orwellian setting for this docudrama, nor for the role of the David Bowie-esque overseer (Tilda Swinton) but when we are just left with the enthusiastic George MacKay and the subject of this piece - Marianne Faithfull, it is quite an electric watch. She positively exudes charisma as she sits, oxygen tubes installed, and chats with his notional archivist about her much publicised life, loves and career. Spanning decades, she guides us through some of the most and least turbulent periods of her time in an industry that was somewhat unforgiving at the best of times, and downright hostile at others. She clearly likes MacKay and he her, and so the dynamic between them works well at sensitively discussing matters that, all bar one which she politely declines to talk about, might not be the top of her list of reminiscences. Faithfull presents herself with a mischievous authenticity; a trailblazer who didn’t believe herself anything especially talented nor beautiful - just an ordinary girl with a penchant for some lyric writing who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Supplementing her somewhat understated opionion of herself is quite an impressive array of archive footage from a variety of sources, including some rare content that she, herself, didn’t recall and that helps us to comprehend just how popular and how resilient she was, despite problems with booze and addiction, depression and even a suicide attempt. It also, as a by-product, showcases just how inane so many of the television interviewers were over the years, and we clearly observe her opinion of many of them in earthily expressed terms, too. I could have done with a little more of her performing as both a singer and an actor, but when we just sit and watch her and MacKay together chatting this really does feel like an intimate observational documentary about a woman who was as interesting as she was interested, and whom I left the cinema really quite liking.

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