Fracture surfaces including those through indentations on different nanocrystalline boride/nitride films were investigated by FE-SEM, conventional SEM, and AFM. TiB2, TiN, Ti(B,N), AlN, and (Ti,Al)N films have been obtained by non-reactive r.f. magnetron sputtering. Deformation was realized by cleavage fracture and under a Vickers indentor. Two types of film fracture connected with homogeneous and inhomogeneous deformation are described and discussed. The analogy between the inhomogeneous deformation films image and the river pattern in the case of conventional ceramics is also pointed out.