Breaking & Entering

Oh glorious day when a filmmaker has the guts to make such a mature and quietly emotional movie. Filled with breathtaking visuals, beautiful acting and dense, novel-worthy writing, Anthony Minghella's Breaking & Entering is a remarkable movie that takes its audience on a slow but steady journey to uncover the competing desires of two Londoners.



The larger chunk of the movie surrounds Jude Law's character, Will, a successful architect, married to Robin Wright Penn's Liv. He is neither euphorical about his marriage, nor hopelessly disatisfied like a walking movie cliché. The plot slowly unfolds, and when there are a series of "breaking and entering"s at his workplace, he becomes entangled in a messy affair with the culprit's mother. From there, things get a little out of control. Breaking & Entering's narrative works on a series of levels, effortlessly juggling themes about marriage, parenthood, criminal nature and politics.

The cinematography is of course one of the high points. The camera weaves inside and outside the city of London at the prettiest times of day, capturing at once a realism and romanticism of a great city. Some of the dialogue scenes in particular are very effective because of the interesting shot set-ups, instead of using quick jump-cuts and the like.

The cast is absolutely top-notch. My beautiful Jude Law, always one to play the man-whore, is simple and non-actorly, but creates an interesting, realistic character throughout. Robin Wright Penn as the wronged wife has an icy exterior but is ultimately compassionate. Vera Farmiga is an absolute hoot in her small cameo. And Martin Freeman and Ray Winstone provide ample support from the sidelines.

But the knockout is Juliette Binoche. Her portrayal of Bosnian immigrant Amira is one the finest performances I've seen in a while. It's a dark, complicated role and a small wonder that she's able to make her character so sympathetic. She lives for her son, loves him to no end, and is willing to do absolutely anything to give him a better life than her's.

Though the ending is a little easy, there's no denying the power and honesty of this mesmerizing story. Highly recommended.

Grade: A-