Broken (2005/I)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Alex Ferrari

Writers:

Alex Ferrari (story)
Jorge F. Rodriguez (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 February 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Action | Crime | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

What if your truth... were a lie?

Plot:

A gun blast, a flash of light, and a young woman awakens to the comfort of her own bed. Bonnie Clayton has it all...

Plot Keywords:

The Matrix | Minidv | Comic Book | Superhero | Low Budget Film

Awards:

6 wins

Cast

Samantha Jane Polay	...	Bonnie
Paul Gordon	...	Duncan
Amber Crawford	...	Marquez
Derek Evans	...	Christian
Tony Gomez	...	Gabriel
Jose Luis Navas	...	Snake
Danilo Begovic	...	Pinball
Stephan Morris	...	Shamon
Ruben Gomez	...	Penance
Ken Robkin	...	Ukyo
Eric Townsend	...	Kangol Guy
Howard Dobinsky	...	Doctor
Deidre Washington	...	Nurse
Toby Burge	...	Orderly #1
Jorge Carcases	...	Orderly #2

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

A.G. Holley Hospital - 1199 W. Lantana Road, Lantana, Florida, USA

Company:

Enigma Factory, The

Trivia:

Won the "Most Promising Director Award" at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival 2007.

Quotes:

Duncan: You know my therapist says the exact same thing... can't let go of the past, can't move on. I need closure.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Broken: Finding Your Shot - A Director's Best Friend (2005) (V)

Not impressed

Broken, made for $8,000. That's right, $8,000. Wait... $8,000. Just in case you hadn't seen that anywhere else or heard it before. This video looks like it was made for a lot less. I'm not easily impressed by standard camera angles and color correction. What I am impressed with, is depth of field from a short camera lens. This video has none. It looks flat like video usually does.

It's not a film, as it was shot on video. It's a video and these people are video makers. But, let me get to the meat. Wait, there is none. Apparently the Joker has lost his makeup and for absolutely no reason, whatsoever (at least not that the audience is aware of) he kidnaps some woman in a t-shirt and claims that everyone in the room wants to kill her. Um... why? So the video makers seem to think that if you don't tell the audience anything that that now becomes tension. Maybe that's how stupid people see it, but with people with one iota of intelligence, this comes across as preposterous and boring.

The acting is not atrocious, but it's not good either. I've heard people deliver their lines like they're reading them. These actors don't do that, but what they do do, is take themselves entirely too seriously. If they had, perhaps, planted their tongues firmly in their cheeks, I might have enjoyed the performances.

The action scene, there is one, near the end. Was shot adequately enough, but for what they're doing in this short, it doesn't need to be anything special. The lighting was about the ONLY thing that was done really well. Honestly. I've seen indie films/videos done for far less that actually look better than this.

Was this the end-all/be-all of indie film/video making? No. Not even remotely. Would I go see a big screen version of this? No. Not even remotely. Would I recommend this to other indie film/video makers out there? Certainly. If for nothing else, it shows you what can be done with a micro-budget. Also, not to take anything away from the makers of this short, but they really need to learn story telling above and beyond anything else they may think they need to know.