I stumbled upon a great movie the other day – A Broken Life, a Canadian independent drama film directed by Neil Coombs and produced by Caged Angel Films.
The film was released on September 23, 2008 in the USA. If you haven’t seen it in the cinemas, that’s because it was only released on DVD.
Tormented by his own mediocrity, Max decides to end his life and talks his only friend Bud, a struggling filmmaker, into recording his last day on earth.
Max arms himself with a revolver and roams the city ranting away with Bud in tow, committing various acts of insanity and heroism as he goes along and eventually confronting his former boss and ex-wife. But before the last bullet can be fired, a final shocking revelation comes to light that could change both men’s lives forever.
A Broken Life was filmed in a similar style to Coombs’ The Last Hit with up to 5 cameras – including the POV camera held by “Bud” – operating simultaneously. However, while The Last Hit was shot in a single day, shooting of A Broken Life took 14 days.
The movie was written and produced by Grace Kosaka. She has a rather significant role in the movie as well.
Based in Toronto, Canada, Caged Angel Films, founded by Kosaka, Coombs and Anna Lee, is an innovator in all aspects of independent filmmaking from script development to post. The company’s emphasis is on feature film production with a multi-camera style that creates a unique balance of commercial viability and artistic integrity.
Kosaka’s strong desire to tell her own stories naturally led to writing and producing.
In 2004, Kosaka founded Rebelfest International film festival, a showcase for alternative independent film and oversaw its operation for 3 years.
Her current projects include Comfort, a Canada/UK coproduction and Chasing Ecstasy, a sweeping drama set amidst the conflict in Darfur.