POTENTIAL OUT OF THE GATES: OUR REVIEW OF ‘BROKEN STAR’

Broken Star has two character actors taking on leading roles and are playing against type. It’s star Analeigh Tipton, usually plays romantic interests of supporting characters in movies like Crazy, Stupid Love. She uses her big eyes to evince youthful submission that makes romantic comedies like that problematic. But in this thriller she’s Marky Marlowe. She’s starlet who finds herself in a strange house as part of her 30 day probation. Without any access to social media, the only thing she can look at is her reflection.I’ll mention the other actor as he comes in later, but this is mostly Tipton’s show. Director David Schwep, who’s worked as a cinematographer in shorter movies, made a risk in choosing Tipton as his star. But it mostly works, as actress and director work together. Both collaborate to express Marky’s missteps and fears as she lives in a new environment. A lesser actress would have played Marky as a brat. But Tipton interprets Marky as someone who’s aware of the limitations of a starlet’s power.The person Marky is afraid of and curious about is Daryl. Tyler Labine plays Daryl, the actor who normally plays frat bro wing men is now a reclusive landlord to Marky. She decides to harm herself so that he can take care of her wound. And while he does that she talks about all the people who have abandoned her. This complicates their gender dynamic. Films like this dictate that guys like him are bad news. But she just might be more dangerous than he is.Broken Star follows a lot of limited release movies that are bonkers in their own way. Its subtle approach to surrealism skating above audience’s suspension of disbelief. Another way for Marky to entertain herself is to put on wigs and outfits. She’s playing roles since both Hollywood and the law won’t let her. She does this again in front of the mirror, this time decorating it with Daryl’s old pictures. Tipton transforms in those scenes, taking little effort in yet being able to do a lot.Our antihero is playing her grandmother, conjecturing what the latter might have thought of her. And coincidentally, we discover Daryl and his relationship with his grandmother. These head to head scenes are interesting as it shows one flawed characters gaining power while knowing the other’s weakness. The film ups the creep factor. Marky discovers that Daryl’s grandmother died on the same bed that she is using. She needles him on every spoiler-y detail. In those scenes, Labine expresses every wince of a person who should be hiding his tendencies.Schwep adds novel twists to the chamber thriller genre. Although sometimes the way he visually tells this story doesn’t add up. Somehow Marky and Daryl bond because of their past traumas. He reveals that he recorded footage of her in the past. Now he turns the camera on her and tells her to be real. There and color and black and white versions of the scene, which have their separate merits. But the switch between one and the other can be sometimes disconcerting.At other times, Schwep’s status as a first time director shows. Marky finally has more options than several mirrors and one TV. Daryl gives her access to his AV Room, where she can even see his grandma’s last moments. There’s an inescapably snuff aura to these scenes, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Labine, obviously, is in those scenes and is able to convey the reality of those moments. Schwep obviously shot most of those through green screens, but I suppose that there’s no way around that.Back to its stronger points, it does convey the vapidity of Hollywood. A club with a forgettable name is the fictional substitute for Le Deux. Its back alley is the place where her ex Nick assaults her. Where frenemies drink, assuming that they’ll face less consequences than she does. A strange part of her and Daryl’s alliance is that she’s roping him into avenging herself against those enemies. But of course, Daryl does it in a problematic way as he victimizes these women in sadistic ways.This fulfills the thriller tropes. This of course comes with the ambivalent feelings when it comes to seeing a man tying up women. The antiheroes, not content with harming the starlets competing against Marky, also target her mother and sister. Labine underplays those scenes, understanding that their silence during their ordeal also means his. Daryl doesn’t tape the mother’s mouth, a decision with many possible reasons. He could be a differently villains but both Schwep and Labine choose Daryl to be the kind who follows Marky.Broken Star can’t hide its indie, shoestring budget. But what it has on its side are two actors playing complex characters. There’s also a bait and switch here, Marky seeming like a damsel living under a creep. The movie at least mixes up its archetypes to make them seem fresh. And Tipton and Labine look like they’re having fun playing darker characters. Tipton doesn’t just dress up as a grandma but as a blonde femme fatale. And the film ensures that its audience enjoys her evolution.Read Original