Breaking and Entering (2006)

Director:

Anthony Minghella

Writer:

Anthony Minghella (writer)

Release Date:

26 January 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Love is no ordinary crime.

Plot:

A Landscape Architect's dealings with a young thief cause him to re-evaluate his life.

Plot Keywords:

Mother Son Relationship | Boyfriend Girlfriend Relationship | Perfume | Prostitute | Female Nudity

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Jude Law	...	Will Francis
Robin Wright Penn	...	Liv
Martin Freeman	...	Sandy Hoffman
Rafi Gavron	...	Mirza 'Miro' Simic
Ed Westwick	...	Zoran
Serge Soric	...	Courier
Velibor Topic	...	Vlado
Rad Lazar	...	Dragan
Ting Ting Hu	...	Wei Ping
Romi Aboulafia	...	Orit
Poppy Rogers	...	Bea
Eleanor Matsuura	...	Ruby
Anna Chancellor	...	Kate
Juliette Binoche	...	Amira Simic
Lisa Kay	...	PC Primus

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality and language.

Runtime:

Argentina:120 min | USA:120 min | Canada:120 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Serbo-Croatian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | New Zealand:M | USA:R | Netherlands:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Ireland:16 | Argentina:13 | UK:15 | Japan:PG-12 | Australia:M | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

The techniques used to burgle Green Effect come from parkour, a physical discipline and recreational activity of French origin whose practitioners are called traceurs. Sometimes confused with free running, a related discipline derived from parkour, the art, as it is called by some practitioners, has gained in popularity in urban areas, particularly in Europe, during the early 21st century.

Quotes:

Will Francis: Hi. I'm sorry.
Liv: You smell of perfume.
Will Francis: Well, I don't know how I do.
Liv: Nor do I.
Will Francis: I love you.
Liv: Is that an answer?
Will Francis: It's the truth. I feel as if I'm tapping on a window. You're somewhere behind the glass but you can't hear me. Even when you're angry, like now, it's like someone a long long way away is angry with me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Daily Show: (2007-01-18)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Backdraft

Much to admire

How does one choose a film to view? Often it is the subject matter - here the fraught relationship between landscape architect Will and both his partner of 10 years Liv (who has an autistic daughter) and his new lover Amira (who has a thieving son). Sometimes it is star - in the case, Jude Law who has to choose between his American partner who has an obsessive approach to parenthood (Robin Wright Penn) and his Bosnian refugee girlfriend who works as a seamstress (Juliette Binoche). Other times it is the director - on this occasion, Anthony Minghella who writes as well as directs as he returns to the north London milieu in which he located "Truly, Madly, Deeply".

All of these are reasonable reasons for wanting to see "Breaking and Entering", but I confess that it was the supporting French actress Juliette Binoche that drew me to the work. I've been in love with her ever since her first English-language appearance in "The Unbearable Lightness Of Being" in 1988. She is simply beautiful in a bewitching manner, while always convincing as an actress, especially in vulnerable roles.

This is a multi-layered work in which the title can be taken in three ways: the obvious sense with the robberies perpetrated by Amira's son Miro; the deeper sense with Will's emotional assault on Amira; and still another sense as the middle-class Will and his like invade the traditionally working-class area of Kings Cross.

Those who need car chases or special effects in their movie experiences should avoid Mighella's parable, but those who value thoughtful and nuanced works will find much to admire here.