In case you missed it … ‘Broken’

Directed by Alan White, Broken (2006) stars Heather Graham as Hope, an aspiring singer/songwriter who moves to L.A. from Ohio to become famous. Hope’s dreams didn’t pan out and now she reflects on her many wrong decisions in life as she works the graveyard shift in a small diner. Of her various poor judgments, her worst decision was getting involved with her ex-boyfriend Will (Jeremy Sisto). At first, Will devotes himself to Hope, but his true nature eventually surfaces and so does his drug addiction. He convinces Hope to shoot up with him and she spirals further down the slippery slope. Once Hope realizes she’s getting nowhere with Will, she leaves and ends up in the diner. Hope watches as the various customers come and go at the diner, each of them reminding her of the mistakes she’s made as she tries to move on. Unfortunately, Will is unable to move on past Hope and returns to win her back by any means possible.

Heather Graham has been making some “interesting” choices in movies recently. After seeing Killing Me Softly, I still am not sure what motivated her to say yes. I hesitated on Broken for a while, fearing it would be more of the same. While this film is far from perfect, for a small indie film it does alright. The non-linear structure of the film helps the story move along. I wouldn’t recommend running out to buy the film, but its worth a rental if you’re in the mood for a somewhat depressing but worthwhile story.