The case for The Broken

I couldn't agree more. Of all the Horrorfest movies I have seen this has been my absolute favorite. It was predictable - I saw the Schwarzenegger-esque "6th Day" twist coming from the moment the mirror in her apartment broke - but somehow that didn't make it any less enthralling. Because I was constantly looking for the muted "clues" leading to the ultimate plot twist I was able to notice the beauty in the film making itself. I felt specifically that the focus on reflective surfaces throughout was quite stylish. While the reviewer on the main page said Keifer Sutherland did better in "Mirrors," (after I laughed heartily of course) I realized this really is the GOOD version of Mirrors. When I walked out of that film I felt like the theme had such potential but really fell short of what it could have accomplished. This film filled that void.

I guess when people go to Horrorfest they're looking for blood and guts so anything above childish gore is "boring." I, however found it to be quite sophisticated.

Thank goodness some folks are seeing sense. I have just watched this movie and thought it terrific... while not up to the standard of Polanski, it certainly had excellent echos of the likes of 'The Tenant' and, especially, 'Repulsion'.

I bought the DVD on a whim expecting drivel and hoping for drivel that was entertaining at least. Instead I get this excellent meditative proper supernatural suspense piece... I was thrilled to bits to have discovered it. A supernatural horror that was much more mature than the childish gore fests of recent years... though a little gory in places, which I do not mind in the least - I'm not anti-gore so long as there is substance to the story also.

Story-wise, it reminded me of the Doppelganger story in the old 'Hammer House of Horror' TV anthology series (I always forget the title of the episode). It also follows the Japanese model of Ghost-story telling in which little or no explanation is given for the supernatural elements... they just happen.

Yes, I could see what was coming a mile off... just as I could when I first saw 'The Sixth Sense' for that matter, but it didn't matter since the story was being so well told and the images on the screen so captivatingly photographed.

Yes, those with a limited diet of cinema might find it a bit slow and not very exciting... and they can be forgiven this since the Hollywood fare they watch is aimed at a youth market and provides more often than not, lowest common denominators - I am not meaning to belittle or blame anybody, we have ALL been there. This film is unlikely to be successful in the eyes of the usual market for today's horror. However, I am glad that there are still film-makers out there who risk providing something more than usual... even though, I am sure they realise it may be unfortunately lost on many.

glad i found folks who actually appreciate this film. i'd like to ask three questions:
1. who supposedly came through the glass when it broke at the family dinner?
2. at the end of the film were you left still wondering which lena headey was left, the real one or the double?
3. re: #2, IF it was the double lena headey, why was she emotional during the film when every other double was devoid of emotion?

This movie is a turd. Yes, it's well directed and well lit, but the story is atrocious. Very little narrative, characters we don't give two craps about, and very little substance. It's an hour and a half of nothing. It's the equivalent of watching paint dry.

Don't get me wrong; I don't need alot of action to like a movie. In fact, my favorite movie is probably "Lost In Translation", a movie where not a whole lot happens. But that movie was interesting; this one is *beep*

Long story short: I've seen this movie before. It was called "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". Except that movie was actually good.

I agree as well. I think I was expecting a more straight-forward horror film, the artsy feel and deliberate ominous tone came as a pleasant surprise. Even the aerial shots of London were menacing. I think this was one of those films best enjoyed when not concentrating on the plot so much as the feel of the entire work.

As ian-short2 said, I too found it to be a "refreshing antidote to the bombastic style of many popular movies that are edited at rock video pace." I watched Sauna (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124394/) the other night and had a similar reaction to this film.

Wow, you just insulted David Lynch.

Reminds me of a true suspense film (a la Hitchcock)--all the "suspense" is in the filming, the music, the slight shadows in the background, the actor's faces and the anticipation. I didn't care where the "others" came from, only that you knew they were there behind the mirrors just waiting to break through. Thoroughly enjoyed it--especially the cinematography.

Well said Ian, you got the point. It's a hell of a slick, pure, neat piece of filmography. As you well noticed, it's all in the atmosphere. Other than that we can't assess what's really going on nor what's likely to happen. Doesn't matter. The film stands as it is. It was a big big surprise to me and I think you can't help either to refer to The Others as a key influence as long as the last twist is concerned.

I was also perusing that the film gave room for interpretation, like ummh people start being unloyal to themselves, and betraying their principles, and becoming someone else someone sort of different from what they thought they were meant to be, very often a thoughless snake, a pitiless pit of *beep* or so, but ummh I'm not gonna press anyone into this way of thinking :)