BROKEN (TVA, 2012) D: Rufus Norris, w/ Eloise Laurence, Tim Roth. Rating: NNNN DVD package: none Rating: NNNN
Broken’s stark, absorbing coming-of-age story takes a realistic look at violence and frustration in an ordinary London suburb.
Twelvish Skunk (Eloise Laurence) sees Bob Oswald (Rory Kinnear) lay a brutal beating on their neighbour Rick Buckley (Robert Emms). Rick, who’s already mentally ill, is so traumatized that he’s bundled off to the psych ward. Skunk’s life goes on: first boyfriend, new school, some bullying from Oswald’s vicious daughters, but the sense of uncertainty in a harsh world is always present.
Skunk is good-hearted and thoughtful, easy to root for. But she’s not the only sympathetic character. Director Rufus Norris lets us in on the forces that drive the others, so the climactic disaster – both inevitable and surprising – has real weight.
Tim Roth does a solid job as Skunk’s cool but loving father, and Cillian Murphy stands out as a commitment-phobic lover and then as Skunk’s English teacher.
There are no extras, so you might try a double bill with Ken Loach’s Kes (1969), English naturalism at its finest, or Roth’s electrifying feature debut, Made In Britain.
movies@nowtoronto.com
