Just about everything I’ve read about “Broken English” refers to the film as a new twist on the old theme set by “Romeo and Juliet.” The best asset of the film, though, is its creativity and originality, taking a story that has been told so many ways in the past, finding a new approach, and making it interesting.
“Broken English,” set in Auckland, New Zealand, is the story of Eddie (Julian Archanga), a Maori employed as a cook, and Tina (Aleksandra Vujcic), a transplanted Croatian fleeing the war at home.
There you have your Romeo and Juliet. The feuding families are represented by only one father, Tina’s, played violently by Rade Serbedzija. While he is one of the most dislikable villains I’ve ever seen, he makes his rage understandable, and singlehandedly makes the movie work.
In one of the first scenes of the film, Tina’s father, Ivan, establishes himself as a vengeful man who doesn’t want any of his daughters doing much of anything with any inappropriate men. It seems like inappropriate means non-Croatian, but that is never explicitly deliniated.
So, when Tina and Eddie embark upon their torrid affair, there is no doubt about the fear that Ivan implanted in the minds of his daughters, making the coupling all the more passionate.
In a simultaneous storyline, Tina agrees to marry a Chinese would-be-emigre, to secure him his visa to live in New Zealand with his girlfriend. This complicates matters at home, since she has to live with her so-called husband-to-be.
Things get all the more interesting when Eddie, Tina, and the Chinese couple spent Independence day with Ivan and the rest of the Croatian family. Ivan’s capacity for anger is only expanded upon when he attacks the drunken Chinese suitor.
I won’t give away the ending, but it is exceptionally dramatic, never disappointing and, differing from Shakespeare’s theme, the lovers don’t kill themselves.
All the performances, especially Serbedzija’s, are wonderful. Even the supporting cast, most of whom are relegated to mere plot points, are adequate for the purposes they serve.
Especially notable is the theme music. It is as dramatic, if not more so, than the film itself, and drives the film like very few soundtracks can. Even if you don’t see the movie, I heartily recommend the album.
Despite the use of a centuries-old theme, “Broken English” is consistently intriguing, and never does it resort to a stereotype of any sort. Even the tragedy of Tina’s war-stricken homeland isn’t played to the point of being a turn-off. The only tragedy allowed to dominate the film is the realistic, powerful, love story.
Grade: B+