Search - Broken Vessels on DVD

No enemy more vicious than thine own self

Ken Jensen | Kingston, NY | 04/06/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've overcome mental illness (bipolar disorder) and multiple addictions. I guess that's why I dig films like this one. I can't get enough of watching people lose everything a piece at a time and hear their reasoning and rationalizing for why they can't change. I don't do this maliciously. I'm just sucked in like a scientist keeping a close eye on a pet experiment. Plus, I know just what they're feeling. I relate 100%. The two main characters are damaged goods and they just escalate their demise with accelerated drug use, all while they're saving lives as EMT's. I've also worked with plenty of those guys. I never knew of any addicts but I knew many, many strung out personalities and razor's edge type individuals who did that job. It's high stress, low pay, lack of sleep, and dangerous environments for most of these folks. Yet they save lives. Makes for very interesting conversations when you talk with them. Broken Vessels is about all of that. I have been exactly in the situation where the EMT distracts the crazy man while the cop tackles him. I was the cop (the tackler anyway.)The movie was chaotic, tragic, and fun. You have to be able to understand hard living to comprehend why someone like me would say that. It's not glamorization. It's appreciation for what others endure even if it's their own selves they are enduring."