Breaking & Exiting (2018)

Directed by: Peter Facinelli | 79 minutes | comedy | Actors: Milo Gibson, Jordan Hinson, Adam Huber, Joaquim de Almeida, Justine Wachsberger, James Kyson, Lily Anne Harrison, Cecile Cubilo, Colin Ferguson, John Hinson, Hermann Ludovick Pattein, Blake Purdy

‘Breaking & Exiting’ is a black romantic comedy. It is the directorial debut of Peter Facinelli, who owes his fame mainly to his role of Dr. Carlisle Cullen from the ‘Twilight’ series. The screenplay of this film is written by Jordan Hinson, who also takes on the female lead in this film. Her co-star is Milo Gibson, son of Mel, who made his acting debut in ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ (directed by his father).

Milo plays Harry in his thirties, a good-for-nothing who makes a living by breaking and entering with his cousin Chris (Adam Huber). Chris is a lot more ambitious and conscientious than Harry: he sees that the criminal business offers no secure future. When he gets a decent job, he decides to quit. Feeling betrayed by his cousin, Harry completes the next job on his own. The burglar has the strange habit of going to the toilet in every house where he is an uninvited guest. When he finds a young, half-sedated, half-clothed woman in the bathroom in the bath, who is less startled by his presence than vice versa, he learns from her that she has just taken an overdose of pills. Initially Harry does nothing with the knowledge that this woman wants to take her own life, but in the car Harry regrets and drives back. He makes the woman, Daisy, vomit and puts her to bed. And then continues to take care of her.

On paper, this bizarre premise is a nice starting point for a film, although it does not matter that we should feel sympathy for someone who knowingly turns the lives of others upside down by breaking in. Even the pet of one of the victims has to believe it! Does Harry’s one good deed – helping Daisy regain the will to live – make up for it all? Not really. In addition, it is very easy to talk about psychological problems and suicide; Daisy’s death wish is serious enough, but at first it’s presented as if the bad breakup she had had driven her to want to take her own life. Fortunately, this gets some more background later in the film and Daisy as a character is actually the only one who gets some meat on the bones. Harry remains largely a mystery, and the annoying voiceover, which tells everything we literally see on screen, doesn’t help.

Gibson and Hinson do have a nice chemistry together, which of course works in favor of ‘Breaking & Entering’. They make this comedy worth watching through the conversations they have. The unusual start of a romance and the nice cast make this romkom just not enough. It is also not recommended, but you can still enjoy yourself with this misfit romance.