The Brøken (2008)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Sean Ellis

Writer:

Sean Ellis (writer)

Release Date:

15 November 2008 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Face your fears.

Plot:

On a busy street in London, Gina, a successful radiologist, thinks she sees herself drive past in her own car...

Plot Keywords:

Nightmare | Mystery Woman | London | Nude Woman Murdered | Memory Loss

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Lena Headey	...	Gina McVey
Ulrich Thomsen	...	Dr. Robert Zachman
Melvil Poupaud	...	Stefan Chambers
Michelle Duncan	...	Kate Coleman
Asier Newman	...	Daniel McVey
Richard Jenkins	...	John McVey
Daren Elliott Holmes	...	Simon the Garage Manager
Howard Ward	...	Jim
Damian O'Hare	...	Anthony
Dennis Banks	...	Doorman
In-Sook Chappell	...	Crash Nurse
Peta Longstaff	...	A&E Team
Ziad Alyan	...	A&E Team
Lucy Bingham	...	A&E Team
Marie Flood	...	A&E Team

Also Known As:

The Broken (France) (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence, brief sexuality/nudity and language.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

France | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Japan:PG-12 | USA:R | France:U (with warning) | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Bayswater, London, England, UK

Company:

Gaumont

Trivia:

The inventive spelling of the title reads somewhat silly in Norwegian and Danish since the Ø in broken is a letter in the alphabet in these languages and sounds like the "u" in "burden". In addition "brøken" is a Norwegian word meaning "the fraction".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the original scene of the accident she is shown to continuously stare at the car's mirror without tilting her head. In the last scene (where she remembers who she really is) it is visible that she tilts her head to see the blood on the right temple. Besides the fact that it's a mistake, it's misleading.

Quotes:

[Kate and Gina are kneeling down to sweep up the large mirror that suddenly broke during dinner while the men of the family stand by and watch them]
Kate Coleman: [Quietly to Gina] I guess that's seven years back luck then.
Gina McVey: [mischievously whispering] I thought it was seven years bad sex.
Kate Coleman: No, I've already had that.
Daniel McVey: Oi, I heard that.
Kate Coleman: [smiling up at her husband] Baby, that was before I met you.
[John, Gina and Kate's father, is apparently oblivious to the entire by-play that's occurred and preoccupied by the broken mirror]
John McVey: Do you think we can fix it?

Padded version of an old Twilight Zone episode

Having read many of the comments here, I'm surprised that no one has recognized this as basically an overlong remake of a Twilight Zone episode from 1960 called "Mirror Image," starring Vera Miles. Rod Serling did a much better job of creating an effective spooky tale in 24 minutes than Sean Ellis did in 88 minutes with this tedious snooze. A short piece can be effective with a mysterious and unexplained ending, but in a feature film, there should be a bit more substance and the story should make sense. Sadly, substance and sense are two things missing from "The Broken." Yes, it has some moments, but they are not enough to justify your time. Some further observations: although this is clearly a contemporary story, not one character in the movie has a cellphone! And even though a car accident is the event that gets the story going, there is never any reference to an insurance company, to the person who was driving the other car, or to the police who would have been required to do a report. My advice: skip this bore and watch the original instead!