The Broken (2008) – a night of mirrors and mind games

So, you know how it is when you wake up after a nap in the middle of winter and you’re dead certain you’ve seen your own reflection wink at you? That deep, unsettling feeling you get all the way out to your toes? That’s pretty much what Sean Ellis, the director (yep, that’s the guy who did Cashback), plonks right in your lap with The Broken. Right from the opening scene, there’s this chilly, off-kilter buzz. The photography is more bleak than January in Norrland, and honestly, London never looked so painfully anonymous.

Lena Headey, she’s proper famous for Game of Thrones but here she’s taking the reins as Gina, and she sells every shiver. Richard Jenkins, you know, the dude who pops up in everything, he’s there too, bringing his usual, quietly worried father-vibe.

The story – it’s all about doppelgängers and broken mirrors. I’ve got this cousin Gösta who smashed a mirror at midsummer when we were kids, and my aunt was dead certain that seven years of bad luck was incoming for the whole family. Didn’t get a single bad herring that year, but this film did tap right into that superstitious bent. Maybe it’s a Swedish thing?

You ever try explaining to someone that you saw your own double on the subway? They’ll look at you like you grew a second head. The film sinks you into that “am I losing it or is the world broken?” vibe. Pacing could use a bit of kick now and then, but for folks who like their thrillers with more mood than meatballs, it works.

Not everyone’s cuppa I think, but who cares. If you enjoy feeling a bit paranoid and want something that sticks like a cold February wind, The Broken is worth a shot. Next time I pass a mirror I’ll probably squint… just in case.

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