2023 Show
Elie F. Habib · Lebanon · Arabic
A Lebanese thriller series with more plot holes than mystery
Netflix is no stranger to murder mysteries, having a whole catalog of films and series in the genre from around the world. Because of this, it can be hard for lesser known, non-English titles from the streamer to get their work noticed, and we at A Good Movie to Watch try to find the best of these hidden gems. Unfortunately, Hard Broken is not one of them. The latest six-episode Lebanese series feels rushed, often containing plot points that don’t make sense, with stock characters that feel so one-dimensional. With the quality of other murder mysteries on the platform, it’s strange that Netflix decided to produce this series.
A tragic murder sends a friend group into a frenzy, revealing hidden romances and betrayals lurking beneath the surface of their seemingly perfect lives.
After his lover’s murder from a supposed hit-and-run robbery, the perfect lives of a young attorney and their shared friend group gets shaken as the investigation reveals betrayals and secret lovers that they’ve tried to keep hidden.
Hard Broken is hard to watch because of many factors, but one that stands out is the acting. Sometimes, bad acting can be easy to ignore with just enough good elements like editing and other camera angles. However, it’s hard to ignore it when there are too many scenes that have bad acting. The murder that starts off the show feels totally escapable, when the supposed robber doesn’t even make a good attempt to cover their screaming victim’s mouth. Then again, it’s hard to care about said victim, especially when her supposedly perfect relationship started with strange flirting – flashing a bright dentist’s light on her lover’s face and telling him he has cavities that she clearly could not spot with her method. It’s one thing if these scenes were unimportant, but these were fundamental scenes that the audience needs to care about the show’s characters.
It’s just… really hard to watch.
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
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