Miscellaneous - Broken

  by John Clarkson

published: 30 / 6 / 2013

Article

British Independent Film Awards Best Film Winner 'Broken' has grief as its underlying main theme. Both the Oswalds and the Cunningham families, who live on opposite sides of the same suburban close, have lost their mothers. While Bob Oswald (Rory Kinnear) is foul-mouthed and aggressive and lets his three bullying harpy daughters run wild, kindly and slightly shambolic Archie Cunningham (Tim Roth) has managed to create some stability for his kids - dreamy tomboy Skunk (Eloise Lawrence) and her sardonic older brother Jed (Bill Milner) - with the aid of their live-in au pair, Kasia (Zana Marjanovic). When Bob Oswald kicks in another neighbour, the mentally impaired Rick Buckley (Robert Emms), in front of Skunk after one of his daughters falsely accuses him of raping her, it leads to a sequence of events unfurling that concludes with Rick being sectioned and Skunk in a coma. There are superb performances from Roth - usually the villain ('Made in Britain', 'Reservoir Dogs', ‘The War Zone') - and Kinnear - heavily tipped to take over from Matt Smith as the next 'Doctor Who' early next year -, both of whom play against type. Denis Lawson is also excellent in a cameo role as Rick's helpless father, watching on impotently as the carefully-constructed veneers of his family are suddenly snatched apart. Lawrence is meanwhile outstanding, giving an astonishing naturalistic performance as twelve-year old Skunk, whom on the cusp between primary and secondary school starts to realize the complexities and cruelties of the adult world. 'Broken', like the otherwise excellent 2009 debut novel by Daniel Clay which it is adapted from, briefly teeters into melodrama in its final segment. It is, however, saved by a subtly-crafted hallucinatory dream sequence in which Skunk swings between life and death. There is a strong soundtrack from Electric Wave Bureau, an artists’ collective which includes in its line-up Damon Albarn and which is dedicated to composing and sourcing music for film, television and radio. Initially unobtrusive, its folky ambience soon becomes haunting and compelling. There are also two songs both sung beautifully by the multi-talented Eloise Lawrence. The first is a cover of Blur’s 2003 single ‘Colours’, while the second ‘When I’m Really Old’, which was co-written by Albarn and director Rufus Norris, closes the film. ‘Broken’ is a marvellous coming-of-age drama and portrayal of 21st century society in its tough realities.