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Plot Summary

Breaking and Entering (2011) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2011 · 88 mins · English
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Directed by
Benjamin Fingerhut
Starring
George Hood, Michal Kapral

What would you do to earn a place in the Guinness Book of Records? The famed reference catalogues the most bizarre human achievements, but who are the eccentric individuals behind them? From grape catchers and hula‑hoop masters to ‘jogglers’, this witty yet incisive documentary follows them through interviews and vivid footage, profiling the colourful characters devoted to the oddest frontiers of human excellence and delivering a delightfully eccentric odyssey not to be missed.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle
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Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Breaking and Entering: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Breaking and Entering (2011) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

Will Francis, a young English landscape architect, lives a quiet, routine-filled life in London. He shares a home with his partner Liv, who is Swedish-American, and Liv’s 14-year-old daughter Bea, whose autism adds a delicate strain to the everyday. Bea’s schedules are irregular—sleep patterns waver and eating habits are unsettled—and her social world appears narrow, centered on somersaults, gymnastics, and a singular focus that makes it hard for her to connect with others. This behavior gradually erodes the closeness between Will and Liv, stirring a sense of distance in their relationship. Will feels increasingly shut out of the inner circle that Liv shares with Bea, partly because Bea is not his biological daughter, and the emotional distance becomes a quiet reservoir of tension. They begin relationship counseling in an effort to hold their bond together, yet the drift between them continues, as if the home itself is pulling apart at the seams.

Meanwhile, on the professional side, Will and his partner Sandy run state-of-the-art offices in the Kings Cross area. Their sleek, modern workspace is repeatedly burgled by a group of thieves who speak Slavic languages, their method precise and unsettling. Among the intruders is a 15-year-old acrobat named Mirsad, known as “Miro,” whose nimble, high-risk movements allow him to slip into the building where the two architects work. Miro’s life is shadowed by a harsher truth: he is a refugee from Bosnia and Herzegovina, living with his Bosnian Muslim mother Amira, who earns a living as a seamstress, while his Serbian father was killed in the war. The dynamic between the burglars’ world and the quiet life inside Will and Sandy’s offices becomes a quiet crosscurrent that will eventually pull Will away from his own private worries.

At first, Will and Sandy are puzzled by how the group can disable the alarm, but they do not immediately fear the threat. After the second break-in, they decide to stake out the building after hours, hoping to catch the culprit and alert the police. The late-night stakeouts reveal a different kind of lure for Will: the nights give him a chance to escape the chilly atmosphere of his home life and the sense of distance he feels with Liv and Bea. During this period, he forms a strange and complicated connection with an Eastern European prostitute named Oana, who frequents the area. The pursuit of Miro one night leads Will to the flat where Miro lives with Amira, and his curiosity about their modest world shifts his focus from the burglary to the people behind it.

Rather than report what he discovers, Will returns to Amira’s apartment under the guise of needing a suit mended. What begins as a harmless curiosity deepens into a real emotional entanglement with Amira, prompting Will to reevaluate his own life, his loyalties, and what he wants from the relationships around him. As the police close in on the burglars, the tension mounts and moral lines blur. Will finds himself confronting a crucial choice whose consequences ripple through the lives of everyone involved—Will, Liv, Bea, Amira, Miro, and the world they inhabit in this urban drama. The film juxtaposes the personal struggle to stay connected with family against the pull of a larger, precarious situation involving a young refugee and a community on the edge, asking what it means to take responsibility when finding a balance between duty, desire, and humanity.

Last updated: October 27, 2025 at 16:47

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Plot questions answered

Breaking and Entering Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Breaking and Entering (2011): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why does Will visit Amira under the guise of needing a suit mended?

Will visits Amira's apartment after discovering Miro's home during his stakeout. Rather than reporting the burglary to police, his curiosity about their modest world shifts to genuine emotional interest. Under the false pretense of needing mending, he seeks to understand more about Miro and his mother, which marks the beginning of his dangerous personal entanglement with Amira.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Will's night stakeouts already reveal his growing desire to escape the chilly atmosphere at home.

  • Will
  • Amira
  • suit mending
  • emotional connection
  • curiosity
Q2

Why does Will choose not to report Miro and Amira to the police?

After discovering Miro's vulnerable situation as a refugee and learning about his mother's modest life as a seamstress, Will develops empathy for them. Rather than turning them in, he becomes emotionally entangled with Amira. His personal connection, combined with his growing distance from his own family, makes him choose protection over reporting, blurring moral lines.

Foreshadowing: Will's night vigils already blur the line between observer and participant in the criminals' world.

  • Miro
  • Amira
  • police
  • report
  • moral choice
  • empathy
Q3

Why does Bea's behavior strain Will and Liv's relationship?

Bea's irregular sleep patterns, unsettled eating habits, and narrow social world centered on somersaults and gymnastics create tension at home. As Liv's daughter from a previous relationship, Will feels increasingly shut out of the inner circle Liv shares with Bea. The emotional distance becomes a quiet reservoir of tension that gradually erodes their closeness despite attempting relationship counseling.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes early that the home itself seems to be pulling apart at the seams.

  • Bea
  • Liv
  • autism
  • family strain
  • emotional distance
  • relationship counseling
Q4

How does Miro's background as a Bosnian refugee shape his involvement in the burglaries?

Miro is a 15-year-old refugee from Bosnia and Herzegovina whose Serbian father was killed during the war. He lives with his Bosnian Muslim mother Amira, who works as a seamstress to support them. This displacement and trauma likely drive his involvement with the criminal group, using his acrobatic skills as a traceur to bypass security systems. The burglaries become a means of survival for his family.

Foreshadowing: The timeline establishes Miro as a vulnerable boy shaped by war and displacement.

  • Miro
  • Bosnia
  • refugee
  • acrobat
  • traceur
  • war
  • survival
Q5

Why do Will's night stakeouts become more than just catching the burglars?

The stakeouts give Will a chance to escape the chilly atmosphere of his home life and the sense of distance he feels with Liv and Bea. During these nights, he encounters Oana, a prostitute, and later discovers Miro's world. The nocturnal routine becomes a personal escape that pulls him away from domestic tension, ultimately complicating his loyalties and priorities.

Foreshadowing: The quiet vigil blurs the line between observer and participant in the criminals' world.

  • stakeout
  • Will
  • escape
  • Oana
  • night
  • domestic tension
Q6

Why does Will become emotionally involved with Amira instead of working on his relationship with Liv?

Will feels increasingly shut out of the inner circle Liv shares with Bea, partly because Bea is not his biological daughter. His frustration grows as Bea's behavioral issues escalate. When he discovers Amira's warmth and humanity, it offers him a sense of belonging and purpose that his own home lacks. This emotional escape becomes more appealing than working through his relationship difficulties with Liv.

Foreshadowing: The emotional distance at home is established as a quiet reservoir of tension from the start.

  • Will
  • Amira
  • Liv
  • emotional entanglement
  • belonging
  • escape
Q7

Why does relationship counseling fail to save Will and Liv's bond?

Will and Liv begin counseling to salvage their bond, but the sessions reveal their drifting apart and the emotional distance that has grown since Bea's problems emerged. While counseling offers a glimmer of hope, the rift continues because Will finds an escape in his night stakeouts and eventual connection with Amira, pulling him further from addressing the core issues at home.

Foreshadowing: The drift between them continues as if the home itself is pulling apart at the seams.

  • relationship counseling
  • Liv
  • Will
  • Bea
  • emotional distance
  • failure
Q8

How do the burglaries connect to Will's personal struggles?

The burglaries at Will and Sandy's Kings Cross office create a crosscurrent that pulls Will away from his own private worries. The stakeouts become his escape from the tense home environment. His pursuit of Miro leads him to Amira's world, which eventually becomes more significant than catching the thieves. The professional crisis mirrors his personal crisis, with both demanding moral choices.

Foreshadowing: The dynamic between the burglars' world and the quiet life inside Will's offices becomes a quiet crosscurrent.

  • burglary
  • Kings Cross
  • Miro
  • professional
  • personal
  • connection
Q9

What makes Miro's acrobatics essential to the burglary operation?

Miro, known as a traceur, uses his nimble, high-risk acrobatic movements to slip past alarms and into the building where Will and Sandy work. His athletic skills allow him to bypass security systems that other burglars cannot, making him an invaluable asset to the criminal group. This explains how the thieves repeatedly bypass state-of-the-art security.

Foreshadowing: The gang relies on Miro's acrobatic skills as their secret weapon.

  • Miro
  • acrobat
  • traceur
  • alarms
  • burglary
  • skills
Q10

Why does Will encounter Oana during the stakeouts?

During his night vigils at the Kings Cross office, Will encounters Oana, an Eastern European prostitute who frequents the area. This chance interaction introduces a morally complex element to Will's already tangled life, deepening his sense of isolation and longing. The encounter adds to his growing detachment from his domestic responsibilities.

Foreshadowing: The pursuit of Miro one night leads Will to the flat where Miro lives, shifting his focus.

  • Oana
  • prostitute
  • stakeout
  • encounter
  • isolation
Q11

What crucial choice must Will make that affects everyone?

As police close in on the burglars, Will faces a pivotal decision: report what he knows about Miro and Amira, or protect them due to his emotional involvement. This choice pits his new personal ties against his duties to Liv, Bea, and the law. The decision has consequences that ripple through all their lives, redefining his sense of self and family.

Foreshadowing: The police intensify their pursuit, tightening the net around the gang.

  • Will
  • police
  • choice
  • report
  • protect
  • moral dilemma
  • consequence
Q12

What are the consequences of Will's decision regarding the burglars?

The aftermath of Will's decision reverberates through his relationships and work, altering the trajectories of Bea, Liv, Miro, and Amira. The film closes on the cost of crossing lines between professional life, personal longing, and moral responsibility. The ending is bittersweet, suggesting difficult choices rather than a simple resolution, leaving viewers to contemplate belonging and accountability.

Foreshadowing: The film asks what it means to take responsibility when finding a balance between duty, desire, and humanity.

  • aftermath
  • consequences
  • Will
  • relationships
  • cost
  • responsibility

Movie threads

More Movies Like Breaking and Entering, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Breaking and Entering tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies with Quiet Urban Melancholy like Breaking and Entering

Films that capture the quiet sadness and isolation of life in the modern city. If you liked the atmospheric and lonely feel of Breaking and Entering, explore this collection of movies like it. These films share a slow, deliberate pace and a melancholic tone, using the urban setting to explore themes of isolation and moral uncertainty.

  • melancholic
  • contemplative
  • atmospheric
  • lonely
  • quiet
  • uneasy
  • Tone: melancholic, contemplative
  • Pacing: slow, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread often follow characters navigating personal crises against the backdrop of a seemingly impersonal city. The plot is secondary to the emotional landscape, focusing on quiet moments of reflection, strained relationships, and the subtle tension of everyday life.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here for their shared commitment to a specific mood: a slow-burning, contemplative melancholy rooted in an urban setting. They prioritize atmosphere and emotional texture over fast-paced plots, creating a cohesive, immersive, and reflective viewing experience.

Movies with Moral Ambiguity like Breaking and Entering

Stories where good people face difficult choices that blur the lines of right and wrong. For viewers who appreciated the complex ethical dilemmas in Breaking and Entering, this list features similar movies about moral ambiguity. These stories focus on characters making difficult choices, leading to bittersweet endings and deep emotional reflection.

  • tense
  • thoughtful
  • complex characters
  • emotional
  • bittersweet
  • dramatic
  • Tone: bittersweet, tense
  • Pacing: slow to steady
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a protagonist whose comfortable life is disrupted, forcing them into a situation where their morals are tested. The story explores the grey areas of their choices, weaving together different perspectives to show that there are no easy answers, often culminating in a conclusion that acknowledges loss and growth.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by their focus on ethical complexity and character-driven dilemmas. They share a moderate intensity derived from psychological tension rather than action, and a tone that is serious and reflective, making them compelling for audiences who enjoy nuanced storytelling.

Every angle

Breaking and Entering (2011) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Breaking and Entering in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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