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Review: BROKEN CEILING (2018), a well-acted and consistently suspenseful corporate drama

Sebastian Zavala Kahn
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Review: BROKEN CEILING (2018), a well-acted and consistently suspenseful corporate drama

A lot of films have been done regarding life in corporate America. They might be about corruption and greed in big companies, about real life events such as the 2008 economic crisis, or even about people who seem to have no moral compass, who try to fight against the many injustices they experience on a day to day basis, not through hard work or good ol’ time and effort, but through viciousness and relentlessness. Whatever your flavour of corporate drama may be, there’s probably a movie for you out there somewhere. For some reason, this is a sub-genre that has been frequently exploited since the eighties, and even before that.

That is why watching a picture such as “Broken Ceiling” can be so satisfying. Despite hitting some of the beats one expects from this kind of movie, it feels different, or at least more original than the average Hollywood production. Its scope is more limited —which actually works in favour of the movie—, its performances are generally solid, and the story itself has a lot to say about the (sometimes unfair) way loyalty and sacrifices toward a big business are rewarded. It is by no means a perfect motion picture, but it’s got enough good will and honesty to warrant a recommendation.

 

“Broken Ceiling” has four main characters. These are unstable boss Ken Wolfe (Regen Wilson), right hand man Tyler Foster (Rane Jameson), his assistant, Angela Walker (Karan Kendrick) and newbie Garrett Jensen (Torran Kitts). Their interactions serve as a sort of introduction to the movie and its corporate world, and lead to an extremely important conference call —the actual heart of the script—, in which they have to talk with a tech magnate and possible investor in their company. Said meeting starts innocently enough, but little by little, turns into a really tense powerplay, in which any mistake from any of these employees could have unexpectedly dangerous consequences.

 

Most of the performances are pretty solid, but Karan Kendrick (“The Hunger Games”) is definitely the standout. Despite being an assistant, she eventually “grabs the mantle” and plays a bigger part in the conference call than initially expected. It is a surprising yet satisfying twist, which turns her in to the main character, and both the emotional and intelectual core of the movie. Kendrick gives a fierce and realistic performance, selling her character’s intensity and bravery, making her stand out from a pretty standard group of corporate “drones”.

 

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Thankfully, this gradual change in Angela feels like a natural extension of her characterisation. After all, much like Rane Jameson’s Tyler Foster, Angela is tired of being denied a promotion, of being cast aside. Through her, the film makes a pretty powerful statement about the way these kinds of workers are treated, about what they may end up doing after being so loyal and dedicated to their job for years, and seeing no rewards at all for their hard work. The contrast between Angela and Tyler serves the movie well, and her actions during the conference call, while a little too intense from time to time, feel satisfying, especially if you start rooting for her from the very beginning (and you definitely should).

 

The rest of the actors don’t do a bad job, although Torran Kitts’s performance can feel a little bit amateurish, especially compared to Kendrick’s amazing work. Rane Jameson is pretty believable as Tyler, though, and Regen Wilson’s portrayal of Ken definitely symbolises everything that’s despicable about corporate America. Yes, the way he develops Ken can feel a little over the top at times —he’s pretty much the villain of the story, and a very hateable one at that—, but he serves his purpose as Angela’s motivation to act up; considering that, he needed to be that obnoxious. If you’ve ever had a detestable boss, you’ll definitely recognise the kind of person Ken is, and therefore root against him throughout the picture.

 

Being centered around a conference call, “Broken Ceiling” is a relatively simple movie. Nevertheless, it is well shot and edited, despite having a couple of weird moments, especially whenever a flashback is involved. However, one must admit that making a truly intriguing and suspenseful film set in pretty much one location is not an easy task, and writer-director Adam Davis does a commendable job at precisely that. He has a good sense of camera placement and dialogue rhythm, which turns many a potentially boring scene into an exercise of palpable tension. He doesn’t abuse of close-ups (given Kendrick’s bravura performance, I imagine that was quite the challenge) and even though there are a couple of awkward moments of silence, the film moves at a consistent pace, for the most part.

 

“Broken Ceiling” is a thrilling movie about the “big companies” and despicable business practices that works, not only due to its well-executed story structure, but also thanks to a potent central performance. Yes, the film starts a little flat and doesn’t really “come to life” until Angela becomes the commanding figure during the conference call, but it’s a flaw that can be easily forgiven, and even ignored, once things get kicked into motion. “Broken Ceiling” feels different enough to other, more famous motion pictures, such as “Boiler Room” (a really underrated movie, by the way) or “Glengary Glenn Ross”, to warrant a viewing even by those who think that they have “seen everything” regarding this particular sub-genre.

 

 

 

 

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Adam Davisbig businessesbig companiesBroken Ceilingcorporate americacorporate dramadramaKaran Kendrickmovie reviewreviewSebastian Zavalathriller

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