Review of Breaking and Entering (2006) by Will G — 05 Oct 2007

It's been 16 years since Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, Cold Mountain) last directed one of his own screenplays â?? the interesting, but just OK Truly Madly Deeply. This new script is, I must say, much more masterful and fascinating, but it still ultimately proves that Minghella is primarily a master of adaptating other people's work.

The story here follows a cutting-edge architect (Jude Law) whose offices are broken into twice within a few weeks by a young boy who emigrated to the US from Bosnia with his mother (Juliette Binoche).

The architect is having difficulties with his own marriage to a cold Scandinavian (Robin Wright Penn) and with her autistic daughter. So he begins to track down the boy secretly, entering into a relationship with the mother.

Everything swirls unexpectedly toward a dramatic, redemptive climax. Fantastic visuals and score win this high points, plot problems take some away. Warning: some sexuality will make this a poor choice for some.