Pulpmovies Reviews

A gunshot sounds and Bonnie (Samantha Jane Polay) awakens from her nightmare. Obviously shaken, she heads to the kitchen for a carton of milk where she is startled by a seated stranger (Paul Gordon).

Then, in a blur of motion, she is knocked unconscious by a second stranger.

Cue credits.

The main part of the film takes place in a single location – an abandoned hospital – where Bonnie is confronted by the stranger and his silent henchmen. Although she doesn’t know the stranger, he clearly knows her…

Broken doesn’t have a great deal of plot – essentially just a set-up, a confrontation and a conclusion – but this really isn’t what the film is about. This film is an exercise in style – and a very successful one at that.

Visually, it’s fantastic, with production values as high – if not higher – than anything you will see in more mainstream films.

The washed out cinematography is reminiscent – in some ways – of Sin City, with the odd flash of colour standing out against a near monochrome background. The acting is consistently impressive – even though many of the actors have no lines, relying on their movements, costumes and make-up to underline very effectively the nature of their characters.

But it’s in the visual effects and the action sequence that the film really does deliver. The effects, throughout, are incredible and it’s difficult to believe that all this was achieved with only $8,000 – every last cent has clearly made its presence felt

And this, combined with the very tight editing of the film means that when the action gets going, it’s spectacular.

And finally, there’s the soundtrack, which – when combined with the deliberate dinginess of the set design – provides a suitably ominous air of menace throughout.

The DVD is packed with extras (three hours of them) which, along with the film’s website, suggest there is a lot more story that didn’t make it into the final film. However, as this film was made primarily to demonstrate the considerable talents of the creative team behind it, I sincerely hope that someone gives them the budget to turn this film into a full length feature.

With Broken, writer/director/producer team Alex Ferrari and Jorge Flores Rodriguez have made a very stylish and visually stunning thriller that leaves you wanting much, much more.

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