Babbit and one of her screenwriters, Guinevere Turner, are old pros in cable TV programming and in groundbreaking works of indie and queer cinema. Turner co-wrote the cult classics "Go Fish" (in which she co-starred) and "American Psycho"; Babbitt is most famous for her sweet coming-out comedy "But I'm a Cheerleader." Both have worked on the lesbian drama "The L Word," of which "Breaking the Girls" sometimes seems a noirish episode. Together, they are masterful at depicting meet cutes, girl crushes, sweet , offbeat romance and the anguish of relationships.
The first act of "Breaking the Girls" shows off these talents with seemingly effortless grace and style. Alex, a spoiled but lonely rich girl draws Sara (Agnes Bruckner), a struggling law student, into her spontaneous, seemingly carefree world of sexual hookups, shoplifting, pool wading and sunset watching. They share some painful bits of their life stories and grow close with a speed to make the heart skip a beat. Kinky titillation and compassion are at odds in so many movies; Babbitt has a gift for making them sing in harmony.
"Breaking the Girls" has a lot more on its mind, of course, and the ensuing procession of twists and reversals dissipate the tension along with our investment. That might also be part of the design, because I sense an ambition to tell a story much larger than "rich girl and poor girl swap murders." To go any further would be to spoil some things, so I'll just say that the destination this film arrives upon reminded me of Kenji Mizoguchi's "fallen women" films. In Mizoguchi films like "Sisters of the Gion", crimes, indignities and injustices proliferate because of social customs that punish free-spirited women. In this climate, such women seek their freedom by any means necessary. Here, the punishment is doled out more evenly, and in the end we learn that everybody has her reasons, nobody gets precisely what she wants, and nobody's hands are clean.
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