Living in a cheap motel in Atlanta and separated from his wife and child, former U.S. Marine veteran Brian Easley is desperate. Driven to the brink by forces beyond his control, the soft-spoken, kind man decides to rob a bank and hold hostages with a bomb. As police, media and family members descend on the bank and on Brian, it becomes clear he’s not after money — he wants to tell his story and have what is rightfully his, even if it costs him his life.
In her debut feature, director Abi Damaris Corbin hauntingly blends together the dramatic tension of a hostage negotiation standoff with the intimate emotional world of one life derailed by bureaucracy and a lack of resources. Based on a true story, BREAKING showcases powerful performances by John Boyega, the late Michael K. Williams in his final screen role, and others who remind us of the social responsibility we have to our soldiers, colleagues and families — and to strangers as well.
“...A tribute to those who have been left behind by America’s inequitable system of governance. And for Brian Brown-Easley in particular, it gives him the attention and more importantly, the respect he deserved.” —Shane Slater, That Shelf “[John Boyega] may have outdone himself here. He commands every scene and manages to switch from being angry and filled with rage in one moment to soft-spoken and gentle in the next. Nicole Beharie is a strong supporting character here as Estel, who manages to keep it all together on the surface, even though she’s likely falling apart at the seams deep down inside.” —Jamie Broadnax, Black Girl Nerds
