Broken English (1996)

 3/4

Starring: Aleksandra Vujcic, Julian Arahanga, Rade Serbedzija, Marton Csokas

Rated NC-17 for Explicit Sexuality

Not to be confused with the 2007 film starring Parker Posey

There is a mix of passion and eroticism that explodes from every frame of Gregor Jordan's 1996 film.  That gives the film its edge and its unique identity.  Most films, even the sexiest or most romantic, shy away from this sensual approach.  But Jordan presses on and is clearly fascinated how these two feelings can impact how people relate to each other.

Let's make one thing clear first.  "Broken English" is not pornographic.  Despite the NC-17 rating (which it arguably doesn't even deserve), there is very little sex in this movie.  There are no more sex scenes in "Broken English" than in any other normal film and while they're a bit more frank than usual, it's certainly not hardcore.  It's the intimate way the director films his actors and the little bits of behavior he captures that make the film really hot.

The story is a simple one, although those who read between the lines will find more complexity than there initially appears to be.  Ivan (Serbedzija) is the head of a Croation family that has fled the wars in the former Yugoslavia.  His wife is from New Zealand, so they have taken up residence in Auckland.  His daughter Nina (Vujcic) is young, interested in the boys in town and makes it clear that she is available. She has fallen for Eddie (Arahanga), the cook at the restaurant where she works.  That drives Ivan mad, as he does not approve of Eddie dating his daughter.  Or anyone else, we gather.

Although the film centers around Nina and Eddie, and both Aleksandra Vujcic and Julian Arahanga give solid performances, the character who dominates the film is Ivan.  Considering that he's played by the legendary Rade Serbedzija, that comes as no surprise.  Ivan is a man we see every now and then.  The way he dresses (including a big beard) and the way he carries himself is so he can show everyone that he is the alpha male.  Everything about his personality is oversized; his passions and behaviors.  And that certainly includes his jealousy over his daughters.  Fathers exhibiting sexual jealousy over their female children are nothing new, of course.  But more than anything, Ivan's obsession with his daughter's sexuality is not so much paternalistic or tribal (although they factor into it), but possessive.  Nina is his daughter, and no one will touch her with out his say so.  Ivan is a supporting character, but Serbedzija makes sure that his animalistic presence is in every scene.

If the passions and erotic nature of the film are first rate, it's the romance that feels slighted.  Vujcic and Arahanga make a cute couple and have chemistry, but it isn't nurtured to where it becomes an equal element in the mixture.  The relationship between Nina and Eddie is at times rushed, with too much of it dealing with a subplot about how Nina is going to marry a Chinese immigrant so he can get a visa.  While this does set up a key moment in the film, it takes too much time away from the central couple (and Ivan). It should have been deleted and the crucial scene rewritten.

In a way, "Broken English" is like good theater.  It concentrates on characters and their interactions with each other, and the burning inner conflicts between them.  Recommended if you can find it.

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