Broken

It’s not easy to put thoroughly unlikable characters up in the screen and still capture the audience’s imagination and heart, but first-time director Rufus Norris finds a way in this tense drama set in a claustrophobic cul-de-sac of a North London neighborhood. The film stars Tim Roth as Archie, a single dad raising two kids the best he can following the death of his wife. Archie also acts as the informal neighborhood attorney, whether it’s a property dispute or, as the violence in the story escalates, legal counsel for criminal attacks. Other residents of the area include an older couple raising a mentally challenged adult child, and another single dad with three of the most vulgar, nasty daughters you can imagine. Watching these people interact isn’t always pleasant; in fact, the movie can be tough to take at times. The reward of getting through it may not be the traditional happy ending, but it’s one of the most satisfying cinematic experiences you can get.