''Broken English'' is a 1996

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

romantic drama film. Directed by Gregor Nicholas, it stars Aleksandra Vujčić,

Julian Arahanga Julian Arahanga (born 18 December 1972) is a New Zealand actor and filmmaker. Career In 1994, Arahanga played Nig Heke in '' Once Were Warriors''. He later reprised the role in the 1999 sequel '' What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?''. In 1996 ...

Marton Csokas Marton Paul Csokas (, ; born 30 June 1966) is a New Zealand actor of film, stage, and television. A graduate of the Toi Whakaari drama school, he has worked extensively in Australia and Hollywood, along with his native country, and often portr ...

, and

Rade Šerbedžija Rade Šerbedžija ( sr-Cyrl, Раде Шербеџија, ; born 27 July 1946) is a Croatian actor, director and musician. He is known for his portrayals of imposing figures on both sides of the law. He was one of the best known Yugoslav actors ...

Synopsis

Nina is the daughter of Ivan, a fierce Croatian patriarch whose family immigrated to

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand to escape the war. She works as a waitress in a restaurant and falls in love with Eddie, a Māori chef, despite her father's objections. For a price, she agrees to marry a Chinese co-worker so that he (and his Chinese wife) can establish permanent residency. The money gives her the independence she needs to leave her parents' house and move in with Eddie. Complications arise when Eddie realises the depth of her father's fury and the strength of Nina's family ties.

Cast

* Aleksandra Vujčić as Nina *

as Eddie *

as Ivan *

as Darko * Madeline McNamara as Mira * Jing Zhao as Clara * Li Yang as Wu * Elizabeth Mavric as Vanya

Production

Aleksandra Vujčić had never acted before and was discovered in an Auckland bar.

NC-17 rating

On September 20, 1996, ''Broken English'' received an NC-17 rating from the

Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the Major film studios, five major film studios of the Cinema of the United States, United States, the Major film studios#Mini-majors, mini-major Amazon MGM Stud ...

for "Explicit Sexuality". Sony Pictures Classics attempted to appeal the rating to R, but the original rating was upheld. An edited R-rated version was released alongside the unedited NC-17 cut. In response to the MPAA's decision, Nicholas released an official statement detailing his experience with their Appeals Board:

Reception

''Broken English'' received generally positive reviews.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Broken English (1996 Film) 1996 films 1996 independent films 1996 multilingual films 1996 romantic drama films 1990s Croatian-language films 1990s English-language films 1990s Japanese-language films English-language independent films English-language romantic drama films Films about interracial romance Films set in Auckland Films shot in New Zealand Māori-language films New Zealand independent films New Zealand multilingual films New Zealand romantic drama films Sony Pictures Classics films