Broken English 1996

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Broken English ★★½ 1996 (NC-17)

Ethnically diverse New Zealand is the setting for this story of young lovers and the parents who don't understand them. Croatian refugee Nina (Vujcic) and Maori cook Eddie (Arahanga) meet in the Chinese restaurant where they both work and quickly fall in love. Nina's menacing father Ivan (Serbedzija) objects to their passion, sometimes with a baseball bat. Film deals honestly with immigration and racial issues. Engaging debut for Vujcic, a Croatian refugee director Nicholas met in a bar. Also available in an rated version. 92m/C VHS . NZ Aleksandra Vujcic, Julian (Sonny) Arahanga, Rade Serbedzija, Marton Csokas, Jing Zhao, Yang Li, Madeline McNamara; D: Gregor Nicholas; W: Gregor Nicholas, Johanna Pigott, Jim Salter; C: John Toon.