>>REVIEW
BREAKING AND ENTERING
STARRING Jude Law, Juliette Binoche and Robin Wright Penn
DIRECTED BY Anthony Minghella
Opens Friday, March 9
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As a major studio film, Breaking and Entering is a bit of a curiosity. It’s the first film in the last decade from the overrated Oscar-winner Anthony Minghella that isn’t based on a book. It’s got a reasonable budget and a well-known international cast, but at its heart it’s really just an indie flick. This complex relationship drama, which Minghella penned himself, is almost overflowing with confused characters and quirky scenarios. On the surface, it shouldn’t work, which is why it’s such a lovely surprise when it does.
The movie chronicles a multitude of dysfunctional relationships, any one of which would be enough to carry a film of its own. Will (Jude Law) and Liv (Robin Wright Penn) have hit a romantic rough patch. This is exacerbated by Liv’s needy, behaviourally challenged daughter. Amira (Juliette Binoche), a Bosnian refugee and single mom is dealing with her delinquent son. When he robs Will’s architectural firm, it sets into motion a chain of events that will bring all these characters (and more) together in refreshingly honest ways.
Admittedly, this doesn’t sound like the strongest of premises, but showing an almost previously unseen subtlety, Minghella not only succeeds, but crafts an engaging and honest little character drama.
The bulk of the film’s success rests on the strength of the performances. In a role written expressly for him, Law approaches the character of the loving but career-driven Will with a sincerity that has been lacking in many of his recent films. Penn affects a credible Swedish accent and wrings convincing but complex emotion from Liv. Binoche is lovely as always and manages a very persuasive Bosnian accent throughout the film. With excellent supporting turns from Martin Freeman (The Office) Ray Winstone and Verna Farmiga (The Departed), Breaking and Entering is bursting with memorable performances.
Of course, it would be a mistake to discount Minghella’s vision for the film. His first original screenplay since his directorial debut, Truly Madly Deeply in 1991, Breaking and Entering resonates with a strength that is notably absent from such overblown dramas as The English Patient or The Talented Mr. Ripley. Whether he connected more strongly with the material because he created it or felt less constricted by pre-existing baggage that came with other scripts is uncertain. What is quickly apparent is that Breaking and Entering is committed to the characters that populate it. Although the interpersonal dynamics could easily overpower the film, Minghella has found a concise and understated way to tell this complicated story. |
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