Broken English

"Broken English" is about a Croatian woman who lives with her old world parents in New Zealand and falls in love with a Maori man which, of course, causes problems while she acts as though she had no clue that would happen. Duh. Though it manages a modicum of entertainment, this film seems to know where it wants to go but has to pound square characters through round holes to make the plot work. In the process there are too many tongue clucking moments where the film's credibility is breached such as when a modern Maori man fights and chants like an ancient Maori warrior or a woman swims with dolphins which, as we learn, they only do with pregnant women...yeah, right. The characters in "Broken English" are in serious need of some conflict resolution...something which no one seeks as it would destroy the contrived drama. "Once Were Warriors" this film is not. However, it is an okay watch for those into Kiwi flicks with time on their hands. (C+)

Was drawn to this on IMDB by seeing an actor who I thought was 'Ivan' so i looked up the movie. I recall this was hauntingly beautiful, yet quite tense and violent. rmalcus-1 yes! There is a soundtrack and I used to have it. I don't know where it is now. There was one track in particular I played over and over. Loved all the music too.

There have been a lot of great culture clash stories, and culture clash love stories, over the years, but this isn't one of them. Part of the problem is we have three cultures here (New Zealand, Bosnian, and Chinese), yet we really don't explore them in depth (except perhaps the Bosnians), so there seems no apparent reason why the New Zealand and Bosnians wouldn't get along except for plot purposes. And while the sex between the two main characters is well-handled, it seems to be the only thing the relationship is based on; we don't really see them get to know each other. The two main characters are appealing, and the two actors who were in ONCE WERE WARRIORS(here playing brothers instead of father and son) are both good, but it still falls short.

I really liked this film. It was a love story like West Side Story. It has probably been 7 or 8 years since I last saw this film. I think a film is especially meaningful when it is related to some real crisis or event. In the case it was the migration of Croatian refugees to New Zealand and their conflicts with the Maori which said a lot about the issues of race, class and ethnicity.

But what has really stuck with me was the music. The recurring gypsy/tango musical interlude made the film for me. It is in my ears right now sort of like the theme for "Last Tango in Paris". I thought there was no published soundtrack made for this film. Please if you are aware of where to obtain a copy of this soundtrack, please let me know.

Nina, young, beautiful and sexy, driven out from war-torn Croatia, has emigrated with her family to Auckland, New Zealand. Why New Zealand? Well it seems Mum was born there (there is an old established "Dalmatian" community in the region famously associated with the wine industry). Dad has quickly found work as a building contractor and seems to be doing well. Ironically, having been driven out of his own country by Serbian ethnic cleansing, he finds NZ's mild multi-racial society impossible to tolerate, at least when his gorgeous daughter falls seriously in lust with Eddie, a handsome Maori, in the kitchen of the Chinese restaurant where they both work. Being a fairly typical NZ movie, the theme is played for comedy rather than tragedy, though there is plenty of tension. An erotic scene early on dissolves into a minor domestic mishap. Cars get their windows smashed but no-one gets their head smashed in. The real tragedy is back home in Croatia via home videos from remaining relatives. The young couple progress from 90% lust /10% affection to about 50/50, though it's a rocky road. Dad however just can't adjust. Civil enough with his Tongan ("coconut") neighbours, the idea of his little girl having it off with any Maori sends him ballistic (it could have been worse - the lover might have been Serbian). With his knucklehead son, he attempts to break them up, with predictable lack of success. It's a great sketch of a tough, admirable (in some ways) but unadaptable man. Why is he like that? At the end we're none the wiser. Nor do we get to understand Mum's position, which seems to be total submission. She may be NZ born but she isn't a typical post 1960 NZ wife. There's a mildly amusing sub-plot regarding an immigration scam run by Nina and Eddies's employer, with the characters involved verging on caricature. But the main theme is that youth will do what it's going to do (sex, mostly) for good or ill and the oldies might as well stand clear. A nicely made and well paced light piece from the producers of the rather more serious "Once Were Warriors."