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Breaking and Entering (2018) movie poster

Timeline

Breaking and Entering (2018) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2018 · 16 mins · Spanish
Directed by
Damià Serra Cauchetiez
Starring
Pep Payo, Lluís Altés, Vicky Peña, María Molins, Pablo Capuz, Moha Amazian
Budget
$10K

Imad, a young man from a disadvantaged neighborhood, arranges a clandestine meeting with Angel, a young man from a wealthy family. They connected through a dating app and seek a private encounter in Angel’s opulent home, hoping to keep their relationship hidden. The meeting promises a brief escape from their disparate worlds, but the potential for complications looms large.

Comedy Cast, crew & box office
On this page (4)
  1. 1 Events in order (12)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Every angle

12 events in order · contains spoilers

Breaking and Entering Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Breaking and Entering (2018) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Will's orderly London life

    Will Francis, a landscape architect, leads a routine life in London with his girlfriend Liv and her autistic daughter Bea. The household is quiet but emotionally distant, especially between Will and Bea. He moves through each day with a sense of predictable regularity.

    When
    Daytime
    Where
    London, Will's home

  2. Bea's struggles strain the family

    Bea's irregular sleep, eating habits and social withdrawal strain the family. The 14-year-old's somersaults and fixation on gymnastics point to deeper issues. The tension between Will and Liv grows as they try to manage Bea's needs.

    When
    Daytime
    Where
    London home

  3. Relationship counseling begins

    Will and Liv start relationship counseling to salvage their bond, hoping to bridge the emotional gap. The sessions reveal unresolved questions about belonging and parenthood. The couple's closeness continues to drift apart despite their efforts.

    When
    Daytime
    Where
    Liv and Will's home / counseling office

  4. Burglaries hit the Kings Cross offices

    Will and his partner Sandy discover their Kings Cross offices are repeatedly burgled by a group using a 15-year-old thief. The burglaries unsettle them and seem to be part of a larger scheme rather than random crime. They decide to take action after the second break-in.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Kings Cross offices

  5. The gang uses Miro, a young entry specialist

    The burglars employ Mirsad 'Miro', a nimble 15-year-old tracer whose acrobatics let them enter the building. Miro is an immigrant refugee living with his mother Amira, a seamstress. His inclusion reveals a human side to the criminals' operations.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Miro's world / Amira's apartment

  6. Will investigates from the shadows

    After the second break-in, Will and Sandy stake out the building to catch the culprit. Will learns the crimes are coordinated rather than opportunistic, raising the stakes of the case.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Kings Cross building

  7. Will meets Oana, the night observer

    During his stakeouts, Will meets Oana, an Eastern European prostitute who haunts the area. The late-night encounters provide Will with an unexpected emotional distraction.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Nearby streets / area around Kings Cross

  8. Following the trail to Amira

    Will spots Miro trying to break in and follows him to the boy's home, where he meets Miro's mother Amira. Rather than report the break-in, he returns with the pretense of needing a suit mended. The encounter opens a door to a morally ambiguous path.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Amira's apartment

  9. Emotional entanglement challenges Will

    Will forms an unexpected emotional connection with Amira, reevaluating his life and abandoning his routine complacency. The bond pulls him into a space where personal attraction clashes with duty and family loyalties. He starts to question what kind of life he wants.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Amira's apartment

  10. Police close in on the burglars

    As law enforcement corners the burglars, the stakes rise for everyone involved. Will's secret relationship and his choice to remain silent threaten his relationships and professional life.

    When
    Night
    Where
    London / Kings Cross vicinity

  11. A decisive choice looms

    Will must decide whether to report the burglary and risk exposing his affair, or protect Amira and Miro by staying silent. The decision could imperil Bea, Liv, and his career. The emotional weight of the choice forces him to confront what he values most.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Kings Cross / Amira's apartment

  12. The aftermath reshapes their lives

    The consequences of Will's decision ripple through his relationships and sense of belonging in London. The film ends with an open aftermath, highlighting the tension between personal desire and responsibility.

    When
    Aftermath
    Where
    London

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 13:05

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Timeline questions answered

Breaking and Entering Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Breaking and Entering (2018): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why doesn't Will report Miro to the police?

Will doesn't report Miro because he becomes emotionally drawn to Miro's mother Amira after following the boy home. Instead of turning the burglars in, Will returns to Amira's apartment under the pretense of needing a suit mended, beginning an affair that clouds his judgment and makes him complicit in the crimes.

  • miro
  • amira
  • police
  • crime
  • betrayal
Q2

What is Bea's condition in the movie?

Bea is Liv's 14-year-old daughter who displays symptoms consistent with autism, including irregular sleep and eating patterns, social awkwardness, and a single-minded fixation on somersaults and gymnastics. These behaviors create tension in the household and contribute to Will feeling like an outsider.

Foreshadowing: The opening scenes establish Bea's difficulties as a persistent source of strain between Will and Liv.

  • bea
  • autism
  • liv
  • family
  • relationship
Q3

Why does Will pursue an affair with Amira?

Will is emotionally disconnected from his relationship with Liv and feels like an outsider in his own home. During his late-night stakeouts, he encounters Amira and is drawn to her vulnerability and the genuine connection he feels with her, a stark contrast to the emotional distance at home.

Foreshadowing: Will's dissatisfaction is established early through the relationship counseling scenes and his observations of Bea's struggles.

  • will
  • amira
  • affair
  • emotion
  • connection
Q4

What is Miro's background in Breaking and Entering?

Miro (Mirsad) is a 15-year-old traceur and refugee from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He lives with his Bosnian Muslim mother Amira, who works as a seamstress. His Serbian father was killed in the war, forcing the family to flee. The burglaries are a desperate means of survival for the family.

  • miro
  • refugee
  • bosnia
  • amira
  • crime
  • survival
Q5

Why does Will follow Miro to his home?

During his stakeout of the office building, Will spots Miro attempting to break in and decides to follow him rather than call the police. This choice stems from Will's growing need for purpose and control in his life, contrasted with the emotional emptiness at home.

Foreshadowing: The stakeouts are introduced as a way for Will to feel useful and in control while his personal life falls apart.

  • miro
  • will
  • follow
  • investigation
  • decision
Q6

What choice does Will have to make at the end?

Will must decide whether to report the burglars to the police, which would expose his affair with Amira and potentially harm her and Miro, or stay silent to protect them, which would betray Liv and potentially put his career at risk. The decision forces him to choose between personal desire and moral responsibility.

  • will
  • decision
  • police
  • affair
  • consequence
  • ending
Q7

Why does Will and Liv's relationship fail?

Will and Liv's relationship deteriorates primarily because Will feels like an outsider in a family that isn't technically his. Bea's needs and behavioral challenges create distance, and despite relationship counseling, the emotional gap widens. Will's inability to connect with Bea and his growing isolation lead him to seek fulfillment elsewhere.

Foreshadowing: The relationship counseling scenes early in the film establish the persistent drift between them.

  • liv
  • will
  • relationship
  • bea
  • failure
  • counseling
Q8

What does the title Breaking and Entering mean?

The title refers to the literal burglary crimes committed by Miro and his associates, which are central to the plot. It also metaphorically describes Will's emotional breaking into Amira's life and the moral boundaries he crosses by not reporting the crimes.

  • title
  • meaning
  • burglary
  • metaphor
  • crime
Q9

How does Amira and Miro's refugee background affect the story?

Their refugee background adds moral complexity to the crime subplot. The burglaries aren't random violence but desperate survival by a family displaced by war. This humanizes the criminals and complicates Will's judgment, making his decision to stay silent more understandable while also highlighting themes of belonging and displacement.

  • refugee
  • amira
  • miro
  • bosnia
  • war
  • survival
  • morality
Q10

Why does Will take on the nighttime stakeout alone?

Will volunteers for the late-night stakeouts because he feels purposeless and out of control in his personal life. The investigation gives him something concrete to focus on and a sense of agency that he's missing at home with Liv and Bea.

  • will
  • stakeout
  • night
  • control
  • purpose
  • investigation

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 about moral dilemmas in the city like Breaking and Entering

Stories where city life exposes quiet desperation and ambiguous choices. If you liked the quiet tension and ethical uncertainty of Breaking and Entering, explore more movies like it. This thread features similar stories of urban melancholy, where characters face moral crossroads amidst a somber city backdrop, perfect for fans of introspective, character-driven drama.

  • melancholic
  • introspective
  • atmospheric
  • tense
  • lonely
  • somber
  • Tone: melancholic, tense, introspective
  • Pacing: slow, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives often follow characters trapped by their circumstances or social divides, typically in a city setting. A pivotal encounter or event forces a confrontation with a moral dilemma, leading to an ending that questions the nature of right and wrong without providing easy answers.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on the melancholic atmosphere of urban life and the exploration of complex moral questions. They feature a similar pacing and emotional tone, prioritizing character introspection over fast-paced action, and often leave the viewer with a sense of thoughtful ambiguity.

The Man from London movie poster

The Man from London

2007
Linear movie poster

Linear

2009
The Last Rites of Joe May movie poster

The Last Rites of Joe May

2011
Aloners movie poster

Aloners

2023
Code Unknown movie poster

Code Unknown

2000
Microhabitat movie poster

Microhabitat

2017
The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed movie poster

The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed

2024
Rebels of the Neon God movie poster

Rebels of the Neon God

1992

Movies with tense private encounters like Breaking and Entering

Unlikely connections forged under pressure in confined, tense settings. Find movies similar to Breaking and Entering that explore clandestine meetings and the intense drama of private spaces. If you enjoyed the tense, intimate dynamic between characters from different worlds, this thread highlights other films with a claustrophobic feel and high emotional stakes.

  • tense
  • claustrophobic
  • emotional
  • intimate
  • dramatic
  • secretive
  • Tone: tense, emotional, melancholic
  • Pacing: slow, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative structure is built around a central, intimate meeting or a series of confined interactions. The tension arises from the characters' hidden motives, social differences, and the risk of exposure, creating a slow-burn drama focused on dialogue, unspoken emotions, and psychological maneuvering.

Why they belong together: These films share a focus on the dynamics of private, often clandestine, encounters. They create a palpable sense of tension and emotional risk within a constrained space, relying on strong performances and nuanced dialogue to explore themes of connection, class, and secrecy.

Quartet movie poster

Quartet

1981
Show movie poster

Show

2002
Separate Tables movie poster

Separate Tables

1958
Intimacy movie poster

Intimacy

2001
Springtime in a Small Town movie poster

Springtime in a Small Town

2004
Gang of Four movie poster

Gang of Four

1989
Closed Curtain movie poster

Closed Curtain

2014
The Quiet Room movie poster

The Quiet Room

1996

Every angle

Breaking and Entering (2018) 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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