Broken Lines

As true as its intentions surely are, this contemporary, north London-set drama about an illicit affair between a lapsed Jew with father issues (Dan Fredenburgh) and a plucky cockney waitress (Doraly Rosa) never takes flight. Moody, washed-out shots of Finsbury Park set the scene, as the couple manoeuvre in the shadows to consummate their love while his nagging fiancée (Olivia Williams) and her incapacitated beau (Paul Bettany) lurk in the background. The big problem is the script, devised by Fredenburgh and Rosa, which feels too artificial and mannered for the would-be down-and-dirty material. There’s also a sizeable chasm between styles of acting, with Fredenburgh going for Milk-Tray-man enigma, while Bettany is in full mad Method mode. There are traces of raw emotion in some scenes, but the film as a whole just doesn’t gel. Director Sallie Aprahamian holds us at a remove from the material, so it’s tough to take anything meaningful away from it.