BREAKING AND ENTERING takes you inside the council housing of London and the rough edges of Kings Cross with a look at the difference in the relationships of a Bosnian Refugee and her son, in contrast to that of a London Architect and his partner, and her autistic daughter. When their paths meet through "breaking and entering" their stories collide in a film with solid performances from the cast.

Remembering the bombing of Kings Cross in 2005, and having lived in that area as a graduate student at London University, the film location was such an interesting match for the darkness of the characters, and their own issues and complexity. The shots of the Camden Locks, and the trees that dot the water, made the story come alive with watching Law and Binoche, and the son, Miro, each with their own problems to solve.

BREAKING AND ENTERING is a timely film as it shows the "melting pot" of London with its different races and refugees who have created a city of millions who have arrived in England to escape their past. And that is also the case of Robin Wright Penn's character and her daughter from Sweden. The characters journeys come to a conclusion which fits the theme of redemption and moving beyond the past. A very complex, but a satisfying film.

There is a compelling need for redemption in Anthony Minghella's characters. The need itself is so blatantly human that sometimes, you have to look away. The plea of the characters is as diverse as it is identical. Don't ask me to explain, I may ruin the whole thought just by trying an intellectual explanation when in fact it only makes sense viscerally. Jude Law is back in top form and I for one want to cheer. He is extraordinary. Extraordinary! Juliette Binoche's Bosnian mom is another miracle of truth in her already magnificent gallery of truthful characters. Her son, played beautifully by Rafi Gavron doesn't allow us to take anything for granted. Robin Wright Penn's Liv is truly Bergmanesque and provides the perfect icy foil for Jude Law's longing. I came out of the theater drained and reinvigorated. That in itself is a huge recommendation.

The late Anthony Minghella wrote and directed "Breaking and Entering," a 2006 film starring Jude Law, Robin Wright Penn,and Juliette Binoche.

Since this film is about people and not adventure or war, I'll say up front that this film moved slowly. I found it an honest and moving film about complex people with complex emotional -- and very real -- lives.

Jude Law is Will, an architect who has a brand new office with his partner Sandy (Martin Freeman). The problem is that the office is in King's Cross, a bad neighborhood. On the day they open their office, they're robbed and then they're robbed again.

Will's home life is strained - he lives with his Swedish girlfriend, Liv, and her autistic daughter, Bea. Bea causes chaos in the household and also requires a lot of attention. Will feels somewhat neglected, and there's a lack of communication in the household. Therefore, to get out of the house, he takes it upon himself to watch the office building at night. He's joined by a Russian hooker (Vera Farmiga) who brings him coffee in exchange for staying warm in his car. She offers herself to him but Will rejects her. Will isn't looking for sex. He's looking for love.

One night he sees a boy trying to break in. Will follows him home and takes note of the fact that his mother Amira (Binoche) is a tailor. The next day he shows up with a jacket to be repaired. Ultimately he wants to be repaired, and they start an affair. It turns out she's Bosnian, and she and her son Miro (Rafi Gavron) left with the Red Cross during the war; her husband was killed when he stayed behind. Unbeknownst to her, Miro's uncle has Miro and a group of his friends, who are experts at parkour, a discipline akin to gymnastics, break into places and steal computers. He soon discovers that Liv isn't the only mother who has an abundance of motherly love.

This is a wonderful story of the lengths a mother will go for her child -- both Liv and Amira, and the desire of two people to find their love again - Liv and Will. Liv and Bea, Will thinks, are in a "circle" that he's not in. He believes he has found true love with Amira, but there's another circle, and he can't be part of that either.

The acting throughout is marvelous from everyone involved. Jude Law is fantastic as a man who feels alone; Juliette Binoche gives a beautiful performance of a troubled and sensual woman, for whom trust is difficult; and Robin Wright Penn gives a strong performance as Liv, a Swede prone to depression and having communication problems with her husband.

A wonderful character study, a moving story, beautifully done.