At first, she couldn't come off the oxygen long enough': the film that gives Marianne Faithfull one final thrilling performance

"The film-makers initially had just three days with Faithfull, on a set at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire. She was living in a care home and needed oxygen intermittently, meaning the pair had to work quickly. She was so ill when we first met her, says Pollard."

"The urgency to correct the record on an often misrepresented artist is reflected in the fictional setting for their film: a gloriously analogue organisation—all whirring tapes and clunking buttons—called The Ministry of Not Forgetting. Tilda Swinton plays its leader, overseeing a research team hellbent on logging all of Faithfull's output."

"During filming, Pollard noticed a great truth about Faithfull: she had an eagerness to completely cut the atmosphere in a room and reset everything. To make people laugh or unnerve them—it's like a weapon. Minutes into the film, we hear Faithfull deploy the C-word. It silenced the room, Pollard recalls."

Marianne Faithfull died in early 2025 at age 78, leaving behind a final musical performance in the documentary film Broken English, which celebrates her six-decade career. Directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard created the film with limited time, as Faithfull was living in a care home and required oxygen support. The film uses a fictional setting called The Ministry of Not Forgetting, led by Tilda Swinton, to document Faithfull's diverse artistic contributions, from acting in Tony Richardson's Hamlet to teaching at the Jack Kerouac School. The filmmakers aimed to correct the record on this often-misrepresented artist, avoiding clichéd 1960s rock mythology. Faithfull's final performance, accompanied by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, provides an emotionally powerful conclusion to the documentary.

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